Login
iscover
The reopening of an Australian embassy in Ukraine has once again been ruled out during a Senate estimates hearing this week.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) staff warned the situation in Ukraine was too “unpredictable” and “risky” for an Australian embassy to return to the country, during the Senate, foreign affairs, defence and trade legislation committee meeting on 15 February. The government previously ordered the departure of Australian embassy staff from Ukraine in February 2022.
Adding increased urgency to the return of the embassy is the disclosure that Australia’s next ambassador to Ukraine, Paul Lehmann, has not yet set foot in the country since being appointed on 9 December last year.
“We are regularly reassessing the health and safety of returning the embassy in Ukraine. The risks to personnel are high. The situation is unpredictable,” DFAT staff said.
“It’s not really a very safe workplace … (due to continued) unpredictable Russian missile attacks in Ukraine.
“Kyiv air defence systems are admirable but … not able to defend completely against missile attacks.”
The Australian embassy is operating “very effectively” out of Warsaw, where Lehmann is also located, according to DFAT staff. More than 67 other nations have reportedly already re-established embassies in Kyiv (of the original 81 missions), including the United States of America, Japan and the United Kingdom.
It’s understood the new Australian ambassador to Ukraine, Paul Lehmann, has not yet presented his credentials to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and former ambassador Bruce Edwards last visited the country in November 2023, August 2023 and July 2022.
Lehmann, who is also accredited to the Republic of Moldova, is envisioned to play a vital role in supporting the provision of Australian assistance to Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s military forces.
As ambassador, Lehmann is expected to contribute to the Australian government’s objective of helping empower Ukraine to end the war on its own terms. His responsibilities include expanding engagement with the government of Ukraine and other partners on shared interests, including humanitarian assistance, trade and investment, energy and food security, multilateral cooperation, and people-to-people links.
In addition, Lehmann is expected to work to advance Australia’s interests in Moldova and maintain consular support to Australians in the region.
He has previously served as a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister-Counsellor (Governance) at the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby. He has previously served overseas as high commissioner to Nigeria and Minister-Counsellor (Development) at the Australian embassy in Afghanistan.
