Ukraine MPs urge Australian help for rebuilding efforts
Ukraine could help Australia improve its own sovereign capabilities, its top diplomat in Canberra says, at a time when Ukraine aims to attract businesses to join Australia’s rebuilding efforts.
Russia’s large-scale invasion, in which analysis estimates that close to 325,000 of its soldiers were killed between February 2022 and December 2025, is in its fifth year.
It is estimated that between 100,000 and 140,000 members of the Ukrainian military were killed defending their nation.
A delegation of Ukrainian MPs visited Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday, where they met with Australian ministers, politicians and business leaders to discuss defense and trade cooperation and investment opportunities.
Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko said his country is trying to persuade the Albanian government to consider appointing a special envoy for the reconstruction of his country.
“There’s going to be a lot that needs to be rebuilt… There are a lot of different sectors that Australians can contribute to and make money from,” he said on Wednesday.
He described the field of defense technology in which the government could invest in this way as “low-hanging fruit”.
“We can definitely start production here in Australia and in this way help Australia develop its own sovereign capabilities in the new modern technology developed in Ukraine as a result of Russia’s war,” Mr Myroshnychenko said.
Ukrainian MP Galyna Mykhailiuk, who headed the delegation, said it was difficult to define the impact of the war on her country.
“Almost every family in Ukraine has someone who was on the front lines or died due to war,” he said.
Dr Mykhailiuk noted the sharp decline in military and financial aid from Australia, which has provided a total of $1.7 billion in support since 2022.
He said the Bushmasters’ donation stopped in 2023 and that they were saving lives.
Ukrainian lawmaker Anastasiia Radina said her six-year-old son had no memory of what life was like before the war, which started when he was two years old.
“A generation is growing up that is completely alien to the concept of peace,” he said.
“This will have consequences for years to come.”
Labor senator Deborah O’Neill, co-chair of the Australian Parliament’s Friends of Ukraine group, which launched on Wednesday, said Kiev was at the forefront of democracy.
“The Australian parliament stands up to the brave sacrifices of men, women and children who endured barbaric Russian bombing,” he said.
“As parliamentarians, we will continue to defend a peace that preserves Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
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