Australia has followed the Five Eyes allies—Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and United States—in rejecting Russia’s annexation and referendums in the contested territories of Ukraine.
The Australian government also announced another round of sanctions on those helping to organise referenda being held in the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong said the federal government would be placing “targeted financial sanctions and travel bans” on 28 Russian-appointed separatists, ministers, and officials who flouted international law to aid the Russian government in legitimising its annexation of the four regions.
“These additional sanctions reinforce Australia’s strong objection to the actions of President Putin and those carrying out his orders,” Wong said. “The areas of Ukraine currently occupied by Russian forces are the sovereign territory of Ukraine. No sham referendum will change this.”…