Foreign minister Julie Bishop says ‘it is unacceptable’ for Russia to threaten Ukraine

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

The federal government has summoned the Russian ambassador to explain his country’s actions in Ukraine.

Foreign minister Julie Bishop says the secretary of her department, Peter Varghese, will meet with ambassador Vladimir Morozov later on Monday.

“We’ll express our concerns officially, directly through him and also seek to ascertain exactly what the Russian government thinks it’s doing,” Bishop told ABC radio.

Asked if the Australian government is considering expelling the envoy, Bishop said: “Well, first thing’s first.”

Ukraine has warned it’s on the brink of disaster and has called up all military reservists after Russia threatened to invade. Russia’s parliament voted on the weekend to allow the president, Vladimir Putin, to send troops into the country following weeks of civil unrest.

Bishop called the developments deeply concerning, saying both military activity and tensions were clearly escalating.

“The way to resolve it is for Russia to withdraw its forces,” she said.

Bishop says Australia is using its temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council to urge a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

“We’ve made it clear that we unequivocally support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,” she said. “It is unacceptable for Russia or any other nation to threaten it.” She says Australians in the Ukraine and Crimea should leave if they can.

Senior opposition frontbencher Chris Bowen said the situation was deeply concerning.

“I think you would find that all Australians would want this resolved through dialogue and we would want the integrity of the Ukraine to be respected and maintained,” he told reporters in Canberra.

Labor MP Kelvin Thomson said Australia should take another look at a deal made a few years ago to sell uranium to Russia.

“We may have to revisit that as part of a consideration of bringing economic pressure to bear on Russia and making it clear that conduct like this comes with consequences,” he said.