![\"Matthew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792376652_457_41bbd81bdfa5a98f70781cb78575df66d9219510.png\")
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October 19, 2026 \u2014 11:34am<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n No gift articles left<\/p>\n You’ve used all of your gift articles. 3 more will become available on the 1st of every month.<\/p>\n Close<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n The Ukrainian Greens have attacked their Australian counterparts for opposing military aid to defend against Russia<\/a>, accusing their sister party of adopting an absurd stance that benefits Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n The comments show new Greens leader David Shoebridge\u2019s stance has resonated in Ukraine, even as the war-weary nation battles a lack of support from US President Donald Trump and a loss of access to a crucial satellite network<\/a> owned by Elon Musk.<\/p>\n Ukraine\u2019s ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko emerged unsatisfied from a meeting with Shoebridge on Friday after the party leader stood by his position that Australia should limit its support to non-military means.<\/p>\n In a statement issued from Kyiv, the Green Party of Ukraine expressed \u201cdeep disappointment\u201d with Shoebridge\u2019s comments on military aid, arguing that \u201crefusing to provide defensive weapons to a country waging a just war of liberation is a dangerous illusion that plays into the hands of the aggressor, Vladimir Putin\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cDogmatic pacifism kills,\u201d the party warned.<\/p>\n Shoebridge told this masthead<\/a> after winning the leadership earlier this month: \u201cThe Greens have been clear from day one that we\u2019re a party of peace and non-violence, and we don\u2019t support military aid to the Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article He said the party would support providing military aid to Ukraine if it were backed by the United Nations Security Council, but critics have noted Russia would inevitably use its veto power to block any such move.<\/p>\n The Green Party of Ukraine said the party was stunned by the \u201cabsurdity\u201d of a position it argued was \u201cdetached from reality\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is equivalent to asking a criminal for permission to call the police,\u201d the party said.<\/p>\n The Ukrainian Greens applauded Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young for supporting military aid to Ukraine<\/a>. It noted European green parties have been at the forefront of calls for greater support to equip Ukraine to defend itself.<\/p>\n \u201cWe call on David Shoebridge to reconsider his position, listen to the voices of Ukrainian environmentalists and support the provision of defensive weapons to Ukraine,\u201d the party said.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly victory over the aggressor can restore peace and security to the European continent.\u201d<\/p>\n Shoebridge defended the party\u2019s stance, saying: \u201cThe position taken on the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine has been the same since 2022; there has been no change.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Greens have a long-standing opposition to the international arms trade, but do support direct aid to Ukraine to support the people in their self-defence from an illegal invasion.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a position taken by Green parties around the world, including in New Zealand and many European countries.\u201d<\/p>\n Repeating his calls for a crackdown on Russian \u201cblood oil\u201d imports entering Australia, Shoebridge said: \u201cWe can assure the people of Ukraine that the Australian Greens are steadfast in our opposition to the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and the right of the Ukrainian people to self-defence.\u201d<\/p>\n Division within the Greens over Ukraine has been a distraction for the party in the early days of Shoebridge\u2019s leadership, alongside Senator Jordon Steele-John\u2019s decision to step down from the party room after party members complained about his behaviour<\/a>.<\/p>\n Related Article Then Greens whip Janet Rice spoke in support of a March 2022 Senate motion<\/a> noting that Australia \u201ccontinues to provide humanitarian assistance to help meet the urgent needs of the Ukrainian people along with military assistance to support Ukraine in defending itself against Russia\u2019s unjust actions\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe affirm our support for the right of the people of Ukraine to sovereignty and territorial integrity, and we support the measures that are outlined in this Senate motion,\u201d Rice told the Senate.<\/p>\n The Greens did not say they opposed providing military support in their comments to a 2024 Senate report on Australian support for Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n Myroshnychenko said he held a \u201cfrank and forthright\u201d conversation with Shoebridge on Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe continue to be concerned with his anti-military aid position, as it empowers Putin,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever we welcome his support for non-military aid.<\/p>\n \u201cWe engage with the Greens as we can, but disagree where we must.\u201d<\/p>\n The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations has urged the Greens to reconsider the party\u2019s position, saying it has caused angst among the community in Australia.<\/p>\n Trump put new sanctions on Russia on hold<\/a> just before they were due to take effect over the weekend, following his shock decision to strike a deal to import Russian diesel.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n No gift articles left<\/p>\n You’ve used all of your gift articles. 3 more will become available on the 1st of every month.<\/p>\n Close![\"Vasyl](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/5611ca9045dfa9ad978c3333d1938e18d234a6ce.jpeg\")
Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukraine\u2019s ambassador to Australia, held a \u201cfrank and forthright\u201d conversation with Shoebridge on Friday.Alex Ellinghausen<\/p>\n![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/058e934ec7a3f646259a600edb363df9b2f037ee.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f6883ea0d07ba6d69a6b890c714b7408d4c63c4d.jpeg\")
David Shoebridge says the Greens have a long-standing opposition to the international arms trade.Alex Ellinghausen<\/p>\n![\"Newly-elected](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1bfb5732a5cc4ee88b2f2fff004150cbeaf0367a.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Matthew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792376656_261_41bbd81bdfa5a98f70781cb78575df66d9219510.png\")
Matthew Knott<\/a> is the foreign affairs and national security correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X<\/a>, Facebook<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"October 19, 2026 \u2014 11:34am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":933256,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-933255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/933255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=933255"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/933255\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/933256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=933255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=933255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=933255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}