Australia must prepare for Russian retaliation: Defense minister

ANKARA

The Australian defense minister on Wednesday said his country is providing Ukraine with lethal weapons to defend itself from Russian attacks, and should therefore be prepared for Moscow's retaliation.

"Australia is now providing lethal military equipment to help Ukrainians defend themselves and there’s more we are prepared to do to help them in their fight against their Russian aggressors," Peter Dutton said in his address at the United States Studies Centre in Canberra, according to a transcript shared by his office.

"Of course, we must be prepared for Russian retaliation in response to these measures and it will come. Russia has published a long list of states which it considers ‘unfriendly’ that includes Australia and we should wear that as a badge of honor," he added.

Dutton said it is in the cyber-realm that Russia is "most likely" to strike.

"The Kremlin has long sought to weaponize the internet as a means of conducting a form of asymmetric warfare in the post-Soviet era," he said. "And so we must expect nations like ours to become the target of escalating cyber-attacks."

Australia has coordinated with its Western partners in imposing sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine.

Last year, Prime Minister Scott Morrison formed a new alliance with the US and UK that centered around nuclear-powered submarines for Australia.

Dutton lauded European response to the war, saying it "speaks to a reassuring resolve among nations – particularly to address under-investment in defense and correct an imbalance of military power."

He criticized China for its "‘no-limits’ cooperative partnership with the Kremlin at a time when the rest of the world was heading in the opposite direction."

"China has failed to condemn Russia for the invasion and that should send alarm bells across the world," he said, claiming that China "has given Russia a lifeline."

"Such behavior runs counter to the Chinese government’s rhetoric about its desire to safeguard world peace and preserve the international order," Dutton said.

China has not condemned the war, criticized Western sanctions against Moscow, and called for a solution to the crisis through negotiations.

Russia calls the campaign it launched on Feb. 24 a "special military operation.”