Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) Co-Chair Mr Stefan Romaniw OAM has just returned from the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) summit in Romania, where he was part of a delegation which travelled to Chernivtsi, in south-western Ukraine, to personally meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Mr Romaniw, who is First Vice President of the UWC, said “It was an absolute privilege to meet and spend time with President Zelenskyy. His message to Australia was one of gratitude and perseverance, requesting more consistent support from Australia.
“In addition to reaffirming the standing requests for support that Ukraine has made of the Australian Government, President Zelenskyy also reflected on the huge impact the Bendigo-made Bushmasters had made in the war, and asked Australia to send more if possible. As Ambassador Vasyl Myronshychenko has said, Bushmasters are ‘Aussie mateship on wheels’, so I can understand why more of these in Ukraine would help support our brave soldiers on the frontline.
“The President also requested international help with air defences. The reality is that Russia has sent an average of 100 missiles, kamikaze drones and guided bombs into Ukraine each day in 2024. Degraded air defences — caused by continued delays in Western security assistance — have meant Ukraine is less able to intercept these missiles. This has resulted in massive destruction, as occurred on 11 April when the entire Trypilska power station in Kyiv was destroyed — the first time in the capital.
“Any systems in Australia which can be sent to Ukraine to help defend against these attacks would be invaluable. I am pleased to take this message back to Australia, and hope the Australian Government can fulfil the President’s request,” said Mr Romaniw.
“Over the weekend we saw the US House of Representatives pass a significant funding package for Ukraine. Once that is passed by the Senate and goes to President Biden’s desk for signature this week, this new US support will energise our troops and give them the means to fight back against Russia and protect Ukrainian cities. US support is essential and we expect it will mark a tipping point in the battle. Ukraine now has the prospect of victory, so Australia — like all Ukraine’s valued partners — cannot afford to take a backwards step. The US package also has a provision relating to the use of seized Russian assets, which puts pressure on the Australian Government to act on the call made recently by leading Australian figures,” said Mr Romaniw.
“The UWC’s priorities are three-fold: help Ukraine achieve victory, rebuild Ukraine, and ensure a strong global Ukrainian community. To this end, we heard from many senior political leaders, ambassadors, advisers and other supporters of Ukraine about issues including the confiscation of Russian assets, military priorities and humanitarian aid.
“We were fortunate to have a number of Australian perspectives around the table across the course of the Summit. Australia is an important liberal democracy and the 12th largest economy in the world — our Government has the ability to do more for Ukraine and it should.
“Defending democracy isn’t easy, fast or cheap. But it is the right thing to do. The AFUO looks forward to continuing to advocate for more support for Ukraine with the Australian Government, as we have done since the start of the full-scale invasion,” Mr Romaniw concluded.
