The peak body representing Ukrainians in Australia is urging the federal government to stand with European nations and stop the Trump administration steamrolling through a plan to end the war with Russia.
The 28-point blueprint drawn up by US officials to end the nearly four-year conflict has sparked alarm in Ukraine and its European allies for being too conciliatory to Russia.
The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO), a peak body for 22 national community organisations, slammed the proposed agreement as “shameful”.
It includes the Ukrainian government giving up its industrial heartland to Russia and halving its armed forces.
Chair of the AFUO Kateryna Argyrou urged the Australian government to protest against any US moves which force Ukraine to cede territory.
“This shameful ‘deal’ is not a solution – it is a dangerous capitulation to tyranny and aggression.
“It would reward Putin by ceding territory not even occupied, lifting all sanctions, returning the majority of frozen Russian assets and offering no reparations for war crimes committed by Russian forces.”
Argyrou said Ukraine would be forced to give up its sovereignty, which could set a “dangerous precedent” for the Indo-Pacific region.
“One of the most alarming aspects of the proposed peace ‘deal’ is the precedent it sets: that borders and sovereignty can be altered by force, and international law can be disregarded.
“If accepted, it will embolden autocratic regimes like Russia and China. Australia relies on a peaceful rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific, so it should know that what happens in Ukraine will matter greatly for the future stability of our region.”
American and Ukrainian officials said on Sunday (Monday AEDT) they’d made progress toward ending the war but provided scant details after discussing the American proposal. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the high-stakes talks in Geneva were “very worthwhile” and constituted the most productive day in “a very long time.”
US President Donald Trump said on social media he had inherited the war from the previous Biden administration.
“A war that is a loser for everyone, especially the millions of people that have so needlessly died,” he wrote, using all capital letters.
“Ukraine ‘leadership’ has expressed zero gratitude for our efforts, and Europe continues to buy oil from Russia,” he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has long opposed ceding any territory to Russia, said he was awaiting the outcomes of the Geneva negotiations.
