Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced his country's readiness to join a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine if a ceasefire is reached between Russia and Ukraine.The announcement comes amid European efforts, led by France and Britain, to form a European force aimed at preventing Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities, ports and infrastructure, after reaching a ceasefire agreement.Following talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Albanese stressed Australia's strong support for Ukraine, noting that participating in a peacekeeping mission would be an option.However, he stressed that it was too early to discuss the deployment of Australian troops. ‘You can't have a peacekeeping mission without having peace,’ he said.The statements came at a time when the United States, led by President Donald Trump, is seeking to mediate a peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow, amid questions about the nature of the proposed European force and its role in monitoring the ceasefire.Australia also announced it would send a senior representative to a meeting of European defence chiefs in Paris, which will be attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, to discuss the future of peace in Ukraine.These developments come amid challenges facing Ukraine on the front lines, and criticism from the US, which recently froze some military and intelligence aid. In contrast, European countries have increased their support for Kyiv.The British Prime Minister also confirmed readiness to consider sending ground forces to Ukraine, in coordination with other allies, if a ceasefire agreement is reached. He also stressed the importance of security guarantees from the US.
