Australia ‘open’ to sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine: Premier

ISTANBUL

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday that the country is "open to consideration of any proposals” on potentially deploying peacekeeping troops to Ukraine.

"There's a discussion at the moment about potential peacekeeping, and from my government's perspective, we're open to consideration of any proposals going forward," Albanese said, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

He added that Canberra "wants to see peace in Ukraine, but wants to make sure that the illegal, immoral actions of Russia are not rewarded."

Australian opposition leader Peter Dutton said that while Canberra should continue to support Ukraine, he doesn’t “see boots on the ground” there,” adding it is Europeans’ task.

On Monday, an Australian government spokesperson said that while Canberra would consider any proposals regarding Ukraine, the deployment of Australian troops to support peacekeeping forces was not “under consideration” at that time.