Australia and Ukraine signed a ten-year bilateral security agreement in New York on Wednesday 23 September, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a further $60 million in support and a fresh round of sanctions on Russia and its backers.
Mr Albanese and the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, signed the framework on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Mr Zelenskyy called it “the strongest document between our countries”.
The agreement, the $60 million package and the sanctions round are separate commitments made on the same day. The framework is between the two governments. The funding package was announced alongside it. The sanctions round and the maritime commitment sit outside the framework.
The agreement differs from the packages Australia has sent since 2022 in one respect: its length. Each of those packages carried a figure and a delivery, and was accounted for when it was announced. The framework sets out defence and security cooperation between the two countries over a decade, and the joint statement frames it for the war and the peace that follows. The horizon outlasts the individual packages announced since 2022 and the budget cycles they were funded from.
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What the Agreement Covers
The joint statement is issued in the names of Mr Albanese, the Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong, and Mr Zelenskyy. It is dated 24 September and describes long-term cooperation including joint production and trade in defence materiel, training, and the exploration of cooperation on training centres.
Two areas are named specifically. The first is joint production of air-defence measures, missiles and drones. The second is the rebuilding of infrastructure, including military healthcare facilities and training centres.
The ten-year term is as reported. The joint statement’s summary does not itemise one, and the full text of the agreement has not been published.
The Money
The $60 million package is split three ways. It includes $45 million in Australian Defence Force equipment, $10 million for Ukraine’s Energy Support Fund, and $5 million in humanitarian assistance. The equipment share is the largest of the three, and the Energy Support Fund contribution puts energy infrastructure inside the aid package.
The Australian Government says its total support for Ukraine since the 2022 invasion is now almost $1.9 billion. The new package is the latest in the run announced since 2022, and the figures are the government’s own, for its own spending.
The overseas commitment sits against pressure on domestic budgets. Queensland’s credit rating was downgraded in September, with S&P Global Ratings warning on state debt and the Olympics bill.
The Sanctions and the Maritime Coalition
The new sanctions cover Russia and its supporters, and take Australia’s total to almost 1,900, with close to 300 shadow-fleet vessels listed, according to the government.
Australia also confirmed it would join the Maritime Capability Coalition. The coalition is led by the United Kingdom and Norway and is aimed at developing Ukraine’s navy. It is a separate commitment from the bilateral agreement signed on Wednesday.
The Words
Mr Albanese said: “I am proud to announce a further $60 million in support.” He added: “Australians stand with Ukraine.”
Senator Wong said: “Australia wants to see a lasting peace that upholds Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
What the Ten Years Actually Commit
A ten-year framework is a commitment of intent. The projects named this week are the joint production of air-defence measures, missiles and drones, the rebuilding of military healthcare and training facilities, and the training pipeline. How much of that work arrives in Ukraine, and when, is not yet known.
No commencement date or review mechanism has been described. The text has not been published in full, and the joint statement does not itemise the term.
The agreement is signed and the $60 million is funded. The schedule and the scale of the projects inside the framework are the parts still to be set out.
Sources: Australian Government, “Agreement on long-term support and cooperation between Australia and Ukraine”, 24 September 2026; Ukrinform, “Strongest agreement between our countries: Zelensky, Australian PM sign bilateral agreement”, 23 September 2026; SBS News, “Australia signs a 10-year security deal with Ukraine”, 24 September 2026; The Guardian Australia, “Albanese announces $60m more for Ukraine at Zelenskyy meeting”, 23 September 2026
Photo: Australian Government, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at an earlier meeting in Rome. Not the signing of the Australia-Ukraine security agreement in New York on 23 September 2026.
