Doorstop, Kyiv, Ukraine

Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: Thank you. It's really great to be here at Australia's embassy in Kyiv to announce the reopening of the embassy here with the Ambassador, Paul Lehmann, who's been doing a great job with his team coming to Kyiv to represent Australia, but now will be able to do so full time. As you know, we've always said that we would open this Embassy when we were able to do so, when it was safe to do so. And I'm just so pleased that we have got to a point where we can reopen the embassy. And I want to thank Paul, and I also want to thank all of the locally engaged staff who have been so incredibly helpful through this period. We're also really grateful to the Canadians who we've worked with and worked out of this facility with them. There's a lot of coordination between Australia and Canada. Obviously, in the Pacific, we do things with them. And obviously, here in Kyiv, we've been really grateful for their assistance. We're opening the embassy as a demonstration of our unwavering support for the people of Ukraine. And my visit here comes at a critical time in this conflict. We want Ukraine to be able to end this war on its own terms.

Journalist: Why are you reopening now? You've always said to do so when it's safe to do so. Why is it safe to do so now?

Foreign Minister: Well, look, I'm not going to go through every aspect of security arrangements, as you'd understand, but we are at a point now where the advice to me and to the Secretary is that the arrangements are such that it is safe to do so, that we do feel we can do so responsibly. We're very grateful to our partners for their, working with us to enable that to happen.

Journalist: Does the timing have anything to do with the fact the opposition said they would reopen the embassy if elected in the new year?

Foreign Minister: No, no. If you go back through the Estimates answers from Secretary Adams, she's been really clear about this all the way along, we wanted to make sure that we're in a position to make sure our staff are safe. We want our staff to be safe. It's not just what the situation is in Kyiv, but what are the arrangements for our people on the ground. And we're at a point now where we feel we can make that decision. I'm really pleased to do so. We've been working towards this for some time.

Journalist: And with the incoming Trump Administration in just over a month's time, is it also a good time to be back? Because we don't know what this next phase of the war will entail.

Foreign Minister: Look, I think it's a very important time for us to come to Kyiv to demonstrate our support, to articulate again why this war matters to all of us. As I've said, it matters because we have a permanent member of the Security Council tearing up the UN Charter. That charter protects Australia, it protects Canada, it protects all countries of the world. And we have an interest in standing against that breach of international law. We also know that we're not, this is connected to our security, we know that we're not a distant hemisphere where this doesn't affect us. We know that security in this region is connected with security in our region. And the most obvious example of that is North Korean soldiers fighting with Russia in this war. And the question that we are concerned about is what is North Korea getting from Russia in return for this? Fundamentally, cooperation between North Korea and Russia is destabilising here, but it is definitely destabilising in our region.

Journalist: The Canadians are based out of this building. Why was it safe for them to be here but not for Australians to be here?

Foreign Minister: Well, Canada is a NATO member.

Journalist: What does that mean for people at home?

Foreign Minister: Canada is a NATO member. And I think there are obviously arrangements as NATO partners that, as a non-NATO partner, we're not part of. So, we're very pleased that we have worked through the arrangements and through all the things we had to do in order to assure security for our people.

Journalist: Ambassador Lehmann, it must have been a little frustrating to be representing a country you weren't based in. How was the past year for you?

Ambassador Paul Lehmann: It's always an honour and a privilege to serve as an Ambassador. And I'm really delighted to be able to welcome the Foreign Minister to Kyiv today and to mark a new chapter in my assignment. It's a continuation because we have always worked to support Ukraine, to stand with Ukraine. But now, with this announcement, we'll be able to do that in a bit more of a visible way here in Kyiv. But this is a continuation of our commitment and our support. So, I'm really pleased with the announcement and delighted to be able to be with the Minister today.

Journalist: And when you come back in the new year, is it like straight into meetings, face time, trying to pick up the lost ground? I guess.

Ambassador: I expect I will need to change some of my habits of doing things by remote means, but that will come back very naturally and swiftly, I'm sure. I would say that we're very welcomed here. The international community, I'm sure, will provide me with all the means that I would need to make that a swift and effective transition.

Journalist: Just one quick question on Ukraine. Almost a couple of years ago, I asked President Zelenskyy if he wanted the embassy to reopen and an ambassador to return. And he famously said, "I want the Ambassador to come into Kyiv riding on top of a Bushmaster." We heard your Ukrainian counterpart asking for more Bushmasters today. Are they going to get what they want?

Foreign Minister: Well, look, there have been, first I would say that we have worked with the Ukrainians over the time we've been in government to listen very carefully to what their needs are and what Australia can provide. And obviously, we can't provide all of the things that they're seeking. There are many partners who are working with Ukrainians and Australia, we're a smaller partner, but we are a very supportive partner. We did give some Bushmasters, as you correctly point out. I think it was 2023. And I went through today a range of the additional military assistance that has been announced, including by the Deputy Prime Minister, both at NATO and in his visit. Obviously, the Foreign Minister has taken me through additional asks. I certainly will take them back to Australia. We do want to work with the Ukrainians, but also with other partners to support their defence.

Journalist: On Vanuatu.

Foreign Minister: Vanuatu. Well, first, I'd say again we stand with Vanuatu. We stand with the people of Vanuatu in the face of this dreadful tragedy and we express our deepest sympathies for these awful events and we stand with you. As I've previously indicated, three aircraft did depart on Wednesday. I understand that we've had the first flight coming back from Vanuatu bound for Amberley with some 61 Australians aboard. Those Australians were prioritised by our staff on the basis of need. We have had some 500 Australians register. As I said previously, we anticipated there would be quite a number of Australians who were in Vanuatu at the time of this earthquake. And we encourage people to contact us, to make sure they registered with us. People have been, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials have been seeking to contact Australians and to make sure ascertain their whereabouts and to assure themselves of their safety.