“But it’s also true that we wanted to act together as a statement about how importantly Australia and France regard the support of Ukraine in the current conflict,” Marles said.
Warmth on display:French Foreign Affairs minister Catherine Colonna,French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu,Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong at a meeting in Paris.Credit:Nathan Laine
Lecornu said while the focus has been on sending Ukraine tanks and fighter jets,the media had overlooked the Ukrainian military’s daily requirement for ammunition and other basic supplies.
He said Ukraine needed shipments that were “regular,predictable and reliable” with an effort that would be kept up over time.
The first deliveries are slated for the first quarter of 2023.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko welcomed the announcement and said extra supplies of ammunition had been one of his country’s top requests for military aid.
“This will be a great help for Ukraine,” Myroshnychenko said,adding that the Ukrainian army could use as many as 5000 artillery shells on an intense day of fighting.
He said he looked forward to hearing more details about the delivery timeline and the quantity of ammunition that will be provided.
Several types of artillery sent to Ukraine from its Western allies fire 155mm shells,including French-made CAESAR truck-mounted guns,the British-built M777 howitzer or the German Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled gun.
The meeting with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and Lecornu was the first joint high-level talks since Canberra ditched a defence accord with Paris in favour of a tie-up with Britain and the United States two years ago.
Ties between Australia and France took a serious blow in 2021 when Canberra dropped a French submarine contract in favour of American subs,and formed the AUKUS Pacific alliance with London and Washington.
Announcing new cooperation:From left,Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong with French Foreign Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna and French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu in Paris.Credit:Nathan Laine
Marles hailed “personal warmth between the four of us”,with all the ministers stressing the need to “rebuild” or “relaunch” the relationship in different ways.
Despite French President Emmanuel Macron saying last year the offer of a submarine contract remained on the table,Marles confirmed Australia was not planning to have any conventionally powered interim submarine capability until the US or UK nuclear-powered ones were delivered.
Colonna called AUKUS “an incident I shall not come back to”,while Lecornu downplayed the tripartite deal’s impact on the Franco-Australian rapprochement.
“Does AUKUS block the capacity for our military cooperation in the future? The answer is no,otherwise ... we would not be here holding this 2+2 meeting,” he said.
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The partnership has been reset around greater co-operation in the Indo-Pacific,where France considers itself a regional power,because of its overseas territories including New Caledonia and French Polynesia.
Without specifically naming China,Wong said both Australia and France shared a desire for a region that was peaceful,stable,prosperous and “respectful of sovereignty”.
“We share values,we share interests at a time,where the world is being reshaped. So we place great emphasis on the co-operation with France in the Indo-Pacific region,” Wong said.
In a lengthy communique,the nations agreed to future climate action in the region,including a joint investment in a port project in Papua New Guinea.
Colonna said France also supported Australia’s candidacy to host COP31 in 2026 and welcomed the partnership with Pacific Island countries.
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