Ukrainians in Australia urge government to strengthen sanctions against Russia

The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) is calling on the Australian government to intensify restrictive measures on Russia. The community submitted its proposals to the Senate inquiry into Australia’s sanctions regime.

“While Australia’s current sanctions regime has been deployed to some useful effect to hold Russia (and its supporters) to account for the brutal, illegal, and ongoing invasion of Ukraine, there remain many opportunities to tighten the sanctions regime,” the AFUO emphasized.

Four main points comprise the AFUO’s proposals. 

Firstly, the community urges that Australia’s sanctions be fully aligned with the restrictive measures imposed by Ukraine and its partners. This alignment is crucial to avoid any ‘gaps’ in the lists of sanctioned individuals or organizations.

Additionally, Ukrainians in Australia are advocating for the closure of loopholes in the sanctions regime that allow trade with Russia to continue, particularly the import of products made from Russian oil.

The third point addresses the “freezing, seizing and repurposing Russian-controlled assets in Australia to help rebuild Ukraine.” 

Finally, the community calls for expanding sanctions against both direct supporters (such as Iran and North Korea) and indirect supporters (like China) of Russia’s invasion.

For the full text of the proposals, please follow the link.

Previously, the AFUO successfully facilitated the transfer of 49 American-made M1A1 Abrams tanks from Australia to Ukraine, a decision that followed months of negotiations.