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Will Nicholas

Greens at odds over sending weapons to Ukraine

Australia has totted up nearly $1.9 billion in support for Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

Australia sending tanks, weapons, infantry and ammunition to Ukraine has put Greens politicians at odds. 

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young on Monday said she supported giving Kyiv military aid if that's what was needed, contradicting her party's freshly minted leader David Shoebridge during his first sitting week in the top job.

"If that's the support that people need in order to defend themselves from the invasion of Russia, I think Australians need to support that," she told ABC's 7.30.

"We always come from a position of wanting to de-escalate military violence ... we want to see humanitarian support, we want to see diplomatic support, but of course you can't allow people to be left fending for themselves."

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young backed giving military aid to Ukraine. (Sarah Wilson/AAP PHOTOS)

Senator Shoebridge on October 3 told Nine newspapers that Australia should not give Ukraine direct military assistance unless it was under the UN Security Council's aegis - something made effectively impossible by Russia's veto power.

Australia has totted up nearly $1.9 billion in support for the eastern European nation since Russia invaded in February 2022 and has provided it critical air defence equipment, munitions and on-the-ground training.

In September, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the UN General Assembly in New York, with the pair inking a bilateral security agreement.

The deal committed Canberra to $60 million more in funding and Australia to a maritime coalition to bolster Kyiv's navy, as well as to 300 more sanctions against Russia.

Greens composite pic
There are strains between Greens' senators over providing military assistance to Ukraine. (Susie Dodds/AAP PHOTOS)

Senator Hanson-Young on Monday flagged her colleague's views on military aid might have changed.

"I've had a discussion with David about this - I think he would have put it differently if he was asked that question again," she said.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump declared Russia and Ukraine would stop all attacks on each others' energy infrastructure in a so-called "energy ceasefire", days after declaring Mr Zelenskiy needed replacing as president. 

This appeared to be news to the two warring countries, with neither side's attacks on power facilities abating.

On other fronts, the Greens will need to mull over the government's digital duty of care laws and tweaks to taxes on trusts, which are expected to be further hashed out while parliament sits in Canberra this week.

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