Australia will impose further financial sanctions and travel bans on almost 30 Russia-backed separatists and senior officials following Moscow’s move to annex swathes of Ukrainian territory.
The Albanese government on Sunday announced another 28 people would be penalised for trying to legitimise Russian attempts to claim several regions in Ukraine through “sham” referendums in the war-torn nation.
In a statement, the government said claims to legitimacy for the referendums held in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia were baseless.
“The areas of Ukraine currently occupied by Russian forces are the sovereign territory of Ukraine, no sham referendum will change this,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said.
The announcement of Russian rule over more than 15 per cent of Ukraine – the biggest annexation in Europe since World War II – has been roundly rejected as illegal, with the United States, Britain and Canada all already announcing new sanctions.
Australia has also backed Ukraine’s claim Russia has violated the UN’s genocide convention, filing a supporting intervention in the International Court of Justice.
The government continues to call on Russia to withdraw its military forces from Ukraine in compliance with the International Court of Justice’s binding order from March this year.
Australia will continue to work closely with the international community to “impose high costs” on those responsible for the invasion.
Speaking from Hawaii alongside his US counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, who is also the defence minister, said the government was considering how it could support Ukraine in the long-term.
“To put Ukraine in a position where ultimately this conflict can be resolved on its terms, and that has to be our objective,” he said.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the intervention was Australia’s commitment to upholding international law.
“We stand with Ukraine in bringing these proceedings against Russia before the International Court of Justice,” he said.
Ukraine has called on Australia to provide further military equipment to back its attempt to repel Russian forces.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has threatened to use all means at the country’s disposal to defend what it claims as its territory, widely interpreted as a reference to his nation’s nuclear arsenal.
The US has said it would respond decisively to any use of nuclear weapons.
By Tess Ikonomou in Canberra with Reuters
Get the latest news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle, competitions and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Canberra Daily Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.
