Australia pledges record $250M in military aid to Ukraine

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) - Australia has pledged to give a record $250 million in military aid to Ukraine, bringing total assistance provided to the war-hit nation to $1.3 billion.

The fresh military aid was announced by Defense Minister Richard Marles after he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington on the sidelines of the NATO summit.

"It was a privilege to tell President Zelenskyy that Australia continues its steadfast support for Ukraine, confirming our largest single military assistance package, worth nearly $250 million," Marles said on X.

Besides Marles, the summit was attended by the leaders of Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea from the Asia-Pacific region.

NATO leaders held a three-day-summit of the alliance in Washington from Tuesday until Thursday.

Thousands of people have died in Russia's war on Ukraine since February 2022. The US-led Western bloc, including its allies in Australia, New Zealand and Japan, have backed Kyiv with aid, both military and humanitarian.