Diplomatic relations between

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

were established in 1992. Ukraine has had an embassy in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

since March 2003 and the Australian Embassy in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

was established in December 2014, however, Australia closed its embassy in Kyiv from February 2022 to January 2025 due to the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, maintaining representation from Poland. In December 2024, it was announced that Australia would reopen its embassy in Kyiv in January 2025, and the embassy reopened from 28 January 2025.

History

Early diplomatic representation of Ukraine as part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

in Australia dates back to 1894, when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Empire sent its first permanent consular representatives to Australia, based in Melbourne, and Ukrainians were counted in official statistics as part of the Russian community. The fifth consul-general of Russia to Australia from 1908 to 1910 was Matvei Matveyevich Hedenstrom, a grandson and namesake of the explorer

Matvei Gedenschtrom Mathias or Matthias Hedenström ( Swedish; 1780 – ), also known by his Russian name Matvei Matveyevich Gedenshtrom (), was a Russian explorer of Northern Siberia, writer, and public servant. Life Gedenshtrom was born in Riga, then part of the ...

, who was born in 1858 in Odesa and a graduate of

Kyiv University The Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (; also known as Kyiv University, Shevchenko University, or KNU) is a public university in Kyiv, Ukraine. The university is the third-oldest university in Ukraine after the University of Lviv and ...

in 1882. Ukraine and Australia have enjoyed official diplomatic relations since 1942 when Australia opened channels with the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

(which included the

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

), although independent relations did not occur until the collapse of the Soviet Union and the establishment of a fully independent Ukraine in late 1991. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in late 1991, Australia acted to recognise the new states of the

Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization, regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an ar ...

on 26 December 1991. Formal diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Australia were established on 10 January 1992 by exchanging notes between the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (, ) is the ministry of the Ukrainian government that oversees the foreign relations of Ukraine. The head of the ministry is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. History Originally, the ministry was estab ...

and the Australian Embassy in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, with the Australian Ambassador in Moscow, Cavan Hogue, receiving non-resident accreditation for Ukraine, presenting his credentials to the President of Ukraine,

Leonid Kravchuk Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk (, ; 10 January 1934 – 10 May 2022) was a Ukrainian politician and the first president of Ukraine, serving from 5 December 1991 until 19 July 1994. In 1992, he signed the Lisbon Protocol, undertaking to give up Ukrai ...

on 9 March 1992. In March 1992, Ukraine established an Honorary Consulate in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

(led by Honorary Consul Zina Botte from 1992 to 1996, and then from 1997 to present by her husband Valery (Larry) Botte), followed by a consulate-general in Sydney in May 2000, headed until 2003 by Vasil Grigorovich Korzachenko. A resident embassy in Canberra was established on 14 April 2003. From 1996 to 2003 the Ukrainian Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, was accredited to Australia. On 26 October 2017, Ukraine established an Honorary Consulate in Sydney headed by local Ukrainian-Australian businessman, Jaroslav Duma. Duma was awarded the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...

(OAM) in the 2006 Birthday honours for "service to the Ukrainian community of New South Wales and to the credit union movement". Following the unilateral annexation by Russia of the Ukrainian province of

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

in March 2014, Australia announced sanctions on Russia and supported

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262 United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262 was adopted on 27 March 2014 by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly in response to the Russian annexation of Crimea and entitled "Territorial integrity of Ukraine ...

, which affirmed the territorial integrity of Ukraine and underscored the invalidity of the 2014 Crimean referendum.

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...

2014

In December 2014, Australia established an interim embassy in

following the

2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine From the end of February 2014, in the aftermath of the Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity, which resulted in the ousting of Russian-leaning President of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, demonstrations by Russian-backed, ...

. From 5 November 1992 to the opening of a resident embassy in 2014, Australia maintained a Consulate in Kyiv headed by an

Honorary Consul A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

, Serhiy Mykolayovych Berezovenko, a prominent economist and businessman based in the city. The first resident ambassador, Doug Trappett, who was previously Deputy Head of Mission in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, had been sent to Kyiv in December 2014 to deal with matters relating to the controversial downing of

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17/MAS17) was a scheduled passenger flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Kuala Lumpur that was shot down by Russian-backed forces with a Buk missile system, Bu ...

on 17 July 2014 by Russian-backed separatists in the

Donbas The Donbas (, ; ) or Donbass ( ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. The majority of the Donbas is occupied by Russia as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War. The word ''Donbas'' is a portmanteau formed fr ...

region, which led to the deaths of 27 Australian citizens.

2015

Trappett presented his credentials on 14 January 2015.

2016

Although initially considered an interim measure for 12 months, pending the resolution of the conflicts in the region, with the stalemating of various issues and the hardening of Ukrainian-Russian relations, the embassy's term of existence was extended in February 2016 to September 2016. In September 2016, the decision was taken by foreign minister Julie Bishop to extend the embassy's term for a further two years with a resident diplomatic presence noting that it would allow Australia: "to work alongside their Ukrainian partners in close cooperation and further develop bilateral ties between the two countries."

2022

On 13 February 2022, amid increasing tensions immediately prior to the

, the Australian Embassy was relocated from the capital Kyiv to the western Ukrainian city of

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

. However, on 22 February 2022, a day before the Russian invasion, Foreign Minister

Marise Payne Marise Ann Payne (born 29 July 1964) is an Australian politician who was a Senator for New South Wales from 1997 until 2023, representing the Liberal Party. She held senior ministerial office in Coalition governments between 2013 and 2022, inclu ...

directed that all Australian officials were to leave the country and operate from eastern Poland and Romania. With the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, Australian Prime Minister

Scott Morrison Scott John Morrison (born 13 May 1968) is an Australian former politician who served as the 30th prime minister of Australia from 2018 to 2022. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party and was ...

announced further support for Ukraine, with the imposition of new sanctions of Russian individuals and financial institutions, and reiterated the Australian support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine: "Australia joins our partners in condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine. There is no justification for this aggression, whose cost will be borne by innocent Ukrainians. Vladimir Putin has fabricated a feeble pretext on which to invade. Russia's disinformation and propaganda has convinced no one. We call on Russia to cease its illegal and unprovoked actions, and to stop violating Ukraine's independence. Russia must reverse its breach of international law and of the UN Charter, and withdraw its military from Ukraine. We reiterate our staunch support for Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity – the bedrock principles of a rules-based world order." Additional individuals targeted for sanctions included

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

and all members of the

Security Council of Russia The Security Council of the Russian Federation ( SCRF or Sovbez; ) is a constitutional consultative body of the Russian president that supports the president's decision-making on national security affairs and matters of strategic interest. Comp ...

, alongside an announcement that Australia would contribute lethal and non-lethal military equipment and medical supplies to Ukraine to aid in its defence. In April-June 2022, it was reported that Australia had given Ukraine AUD$225 million in military aid and AUD$65 million in humanitarian aid. In July 2022, the new Australian Prime Minister,

Anthony Albanese Anthony Norman Albanese ( or ; born 2 March 1963) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been the Leaders of the Australian Labor Party#Leader, leader of the Labor Party si ...

, became the first Australian leader to undertake an official visit to Ukraine, announcing an additional support package that included AUD$99.5 million in military assistance.

2024

On 2 August 2024,

Australia Post Australia Post, formally the Australian Postal Corporation and also known as AusPost, is an Australian Government-State-owned enterprise, owned corporation that provides postal services throughout Australia. Australia Post's head office is loca ...

issued a stamp in support of Ukraine. In December 2024, the amount of aid provided to Ukraine totaled $1.3 billion.

2025

In February 2025 Australia, a key USA ally, reaffirmed its support for Ukraine. Australia insisted the

Russo-Ukraine war The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia occupied and annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then supported Russian paramilitaries who began a war in the eastern Donbas re ...

must end on

’s terms. Defence Minister Richard Marles called Russia the aggressor and stressed the need to uphold the global rules-based order. U.S. President Donald Trump labeled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a "dictator" and urged him to secure peace quickly, claiming Ukraine was responsible for Russia’s 2022 invasion. His remarks alarmed U.S. allies. Australia’s opposition leader

Peter Dutton Peter Craig Dutton (born 18 November 1970) is an Australian former politician who served as the Leader of the Opposition (Australia), Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party from 2 ...

rejected Trump's claims, stating Ukraine was not responsible for the war. He emphasized Australia’s unwavering support for Ukraine as a democracy fighting against Russian aggression.

High level visits and representation

*April 1992 – Parliamentary delegation to Russia and Ukraine led by Michael Lee MP. *November 1992 – Parliamentary delegation to Australia led by the

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada The chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine () is the presiding officer of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russi ...

, Ivan Plyushch. *June–July 2004 – Official visit to Ukraine of a parliamentary delegation led by the

Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives The Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives is the Chairperson, presiding officer of the Australian House of Representatives, the lower house of the Parliament of Australia. The counterpart in the upper house is the President of th ...

, Neil Andrew. *March 2012 – Visit to Ukraine of the Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of Australia,

Angus Houston Air chief marshal (Australia), Air Chief Marshal Sir Allan Grant "Angus" Houston, (born 9 June 1947) is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Air Force. He served as Chief of Air Force (Australia), Chief of Air Force from 20 June 2 ...

. *22 July – 10 August and 12–14 August 2014 – working visits of

, Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of Australia to investigate the crash of flight MH17. *24–25 July and 27 July – 1 August 2014 – working visits to Ukraine by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop. *10–12 December 2014 – state visit of the

President of Ukraine The president of Ukraine (, ) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, conducts negotiations and concludes international treaties. ...

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiiovych Poroshenko (born 26 September 1965) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian politician and Oligarchy, oligarch who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ukraine), Minister ...

to Australia. *2017 – Visit to Ukraine by the

President of the Australian Senate The president of the Senate is the presiding officer of the Australian Senate, the upper house of the Parliament of Australia. The counterpart in the lower house is the speaker of the House of Representatives. The office of the presidency of ...

, Stephen Parry. *2018 – Visit to Australia by Vice Prime Minister Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Defence Minister

Stepan Poltorak Stepan Tymofiyovych Poltorak () is a Ukrainian general who served as the Minister of Defence of Ukraine from 14 October 2014 until 29 August 2019. Previously he was the commander of the Internal Troops of Ukraine and National Guard of Ukraine.

, Internal Affairs Minister

Arsen Avakov Arsen Borysovych Avakov (, ; born 2 January 1964) is a Ukrainian politician of Armenian descent who served as the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine from 2014 to 2021. He was the Chairman of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration from ...

. *31 March 2022 – Official address by video-link by the President of Ukraine,

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

, to the

Parliament of Australia The Parliament of Australia (officially the Parliament of the Commonwealth and also known as the Federal Parliament) is the federal legislature of Australia. It consists of three elements: the Monarchy of Australia, monarch of Australia (repr ...

. *3 July 2022 – Visit to Ukraine by Australian Prime Minister

. * 18 December 2024 – Visit to Ukraine by Minister for Foreign Affairs

Penny Wong Penelope Ying-Yen Wong (born 5 November 1968) is an Australian politician who is serving as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Government in the Senate in the Albanese government since 2022. A member of the Australian Labor Pa ...

Economic relations

Trade between Australia and Ukraine is modest. Merchandise exports from Australia were valued at $29.8 million in 2017–18 primarily consisted of coal. Ukraine's exports to Australia comprised $47.3 million, mainly vegetable oils and fats. On 1 April 2016, Australia and Ukraine signed a Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, which would enable Australia to export uranium to Ukraine for power generation. This agreement entered into force in June 2017.

Tobacco dispute

In 2012, Ukraine began a dispute with Australia within the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that regulates and facilitates international trade. Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that g ...

(WTO) over the adoption of laws requiring uniform plain packaging of tobacco products. On 28 May 2015, the Ukrainian Ministry of Economic Development sent a notice to the WTO to terminate its participation in the dispute, as Ukrainian manufacturers did not export tobacco products to Australia. On 4 June 2015, the Ministry of Economic Development terminated its dispute with Australia over the unified packaging of tobacco products.

Migration

Ukrainians, then part of the

, are known to have been in Australia as early as 1860, although remained a very small community with little, if any, official organisation. A notable early Ukrainian in Australia was explorer, naturalist and ethnographer Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay who visited Australia in the late 19th century and was instrumental in the establishment of a Zoological Field Station at Watson's Bay, Sydney. Ukrainian migration to Australia substantially increased in the post-World War II period, with refugees arriving from 1948 as part of the International Refugee Organization resettlement agreement and on Assisted Passages. Ukraine-born people were first recorded in the 1954

Australian census The Census in Australia, officially the Census of Population and Housing, is the national census in Australia that occurs every five years. The census collects key demographic, social and economic data from all people in Australia on census nig ...

, with the highest number (4,678) living in Victoria. In the 2016 Census there were 13,366 Ukraine-born people in Australia, and 46,186 people identifying as being of Ukrainian ancestry. Victoria had the largest number of Ukraine-born citizens at 5,322, followed by New South Wales (4,830), Queensland (1,248) and South Australia (929).

Resident diplomatic missions

* Australia has an embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, reopened in January 2025. * Ukraine has an embassy in

. File:Костьольна вул., 13 IMG 5593 stitch.jpg, Embassy of Australia in

File:St George Centre, Canberra (alternate view).JPG, Building hosting the Embassy of Ukraine in Canberra

References

External links

Australia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

Ukraine – Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Embassy of Ukraine in Australia

{{DEFAULTSORT:Australia-Ukraine relations Australia-Ukraine relations

Bilateral relations of Ukraine