Subjects: Ukraine, US relationship
E&OE…
SALLY SARA: Well it was an extraordinary scene, a shouting match in the Oval Office, with US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance berating Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky for being not quite grateful enough for the US support, up to this point in the war against Russia. The fireworks were just the latest flashpoint in world politics and point to an up-ended world, whichever party wins the Australian federal election will need to navigate. David Coleman is the new Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and joins me now. David Coleman, welcome to breakfast.
DAVID COLEMAN: Morning, Sally.
SALLY SARA: What did you make of what we saw unfold in the White House on the weekend? The clash between Donald Trump and JD Vance and Volodymyr Zelensky.
DAVID COLEMAN: Look, obviously it was a colourful press conference, Sally, I think that’s fair to say. But what matters here is the substance and making sure that any peace agreement in Ukraine respects sovereignty, respects its security, and frankly, honours the sacrifices that the people of Ukraine have made. They have fought courageously against the murderous dictator in Putin. And it is crucial that any peace respects them, respects their sovereignty, and in that context, it was pleasing to see the announcements coming out of London this morning in terms of European support for Ukraine.
SALLY SARA: Was Volodymyr Zelensky treated respectfully?
DAVID COLEMAN: Look, I’m not going to get into this sort of dynamics of a particular meeting, Sally, but what matters is the substance. What matters is the outcome. What matters is securing a just and enduring peace. And that’s where our focus is most usefully applied. There will always be different ups and downs in negotiations and different discussions, but what matters is the outcome.
SALLY SARA: So it doesn’t matter, what doesn’t matter is how President Zelensky was treated, is that what you’re saying?
DAVID COLEMAN: Oh look, as I said, Sally, it was certainly a colourful press conference, but plainly what really matters is securing a peace that both ends the killing of innocent Ukrainians and respects the sovereignty of Ukraine in the future. That is what is the most important thing by far. And in the Coalition, we obviously supported Ukraine very strongly from the start. President Zelensky asked for Bushmasters, we sent them. We think that President Zelensky has been an extraordinary and inspirational leader. And in 2025, as the world looks towards a peaceful resolution of this conflict, we’ve got to do so in a way that respects Ukraine and to which Ukraine obviously is a party.
SALLY SARA: You’re listening to Radio National Breakfast, and I’m speaking with Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister David Coleman. Do you regard the US currently as a reliable ally?
DAVID COLEMAN: Yes of course. The US is our most important ally, Sally, and has been for many decades and will continue to be. And that’s of course been underpinned by ANZUS for about 70 years, and now by AUKUS, which takes our relationship to the next level. So absolutely. I think the US, of course, is our most significant ally and will continue to be.
SALLY SARA: How, in this current Ukrainian crisis that we’re dealing with at the moment, when the US is saying that it won’t be providing further weapons support to Ukraine. How does that show the US’ reliability, do you think?
DAVID COLEMAN: Well, again, I think, Sally, the issue on Ukraine is the outcome, and I think it is premature to ascribe a particular outcome to negotiations that are ongoing. The United States has provided enormous support to Ukraine and has provided some of its most advanced weapons systems to Ukraine, without which Ukraine would not have been able to do such a tremendous job as it has in fighting back against Russia. So we have to we have to focus on the actual outcome, not on the steps along the way, so to speak. And I think that we obviously want to see the US involved in that, in that outcome. We want to see the US with a strong role in the future of Ukraine. But it’s premature to speculate on that as the negotiations continue.
SALLY SARA: If we stay with Ukraine, would there be a case for putting Australian boots on the ground in Ukraine to help with the security guarantee?
DAVID COLEMAN: Look, I think our support is best provided through defence materiel and humanitarian aid and other forms of support. So there isn’t a request for Australia to provide support beyond that. And I would think that the form of support that we provide today will continue to be the right form of support.
SALLY SARA: Should there be a reconsideration of intelligence-sharing with our Five Eyes partners, given that Australia is, as you say, correctly supporting Ukraine? But we’ve seen on the weekend that the US is essentially aligning itself with the views and demands of Russia on this issue?
DAVID COLEMAN: Absolutely not, Sally. The Five Eyes intelligence partnership is extremely important to Australia and has helped to underpin our security for a very long period of time. Again, I would caution against, Sally, jumping to conclusions based on a press conference. What matters here is the substance. The United States is an exceptionally important ally of Australia, has served Australia’s interests incredibly well, and that will continue.
SALLY SARA: What are the implications for Australia if the US moves down the path of, as US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio suggests, the US moving and I quote, to establish a triangular relationship between the United States, Russia and China.
DAVID COLEMAN: Well, again, I think Sally, the key thing for Australia is that the United States underpins our security through ANZUS. That’s the bedrock. And we should continue to work very closely with the United States, as we always have. Now, the US will obviously have different relationships with China, will have different relationships with Russia, but in our region, the relationship with the United States and with other like-minded partners is so important in securing a stable Indo-Pacific. The reality is, as we’ve seen in recent weeks, we are living in unprecedented times in terms of the level of activity in the Asia-Pacific region. We want to see stability. We want to see security. And continuing to work with the US and other like-minded partners is extremely important to that.
SALLY SARA: David Coleman is the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs. David Coleman, thanks for your time this morning.
DAVID COLEMAN: Thanks, Sally.
The Hon. David Coleman MP
Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
Federal Member for Banks