Europe’s War Is Not Australia’s Fight

What’s always been baffling is the insistence of Australian prime ministers to lend support and jump into wars that are of no geopolitical interest to Australia — especially when every war it has fought for the US and UK since the end of the Second World War has been based on lies designed to serve the political and economic agendas of others.

Australia just doesn’t seem to learn.

Today in Sydney, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese set foreign policy analysts and the military alight when he told journalists Australia would “give consideration” to sending troops to Ukraine should a request come from NATO or Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. His remarks followed reports that European leaders are floating the idea of assembling a so-called “coalition of the willing” to establish a security presence in Ukraine — a move sparked by recent tensions between US President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy.

The prime minister’s comments aren’t just alarming — they’re a reckless display of geopolitical ignorance and blind loyalty to Western military ambitions.

Albanese’s statement shocked foreign policy analysts and defence experts alike, as he failed to rule out the possibility of Australian soldiers being sent into Europe’s deadliest conflict since the Second World War, saying his government would "consider any requests made."

To suggest, even hypothetically, committing ADF personnel to a warzone on the other side of the world — in a conflict Australia is neither geographically part of nor directly impacted by — is an act of profound strategic miscalculation and madness.

Australia's support for Ukraine so far has been limited to military aid, equipment, training, and humanitarian assistance. Since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Australia has contributed over $910 million in support to Kyiv, including $730 million in military aid. Yet the mere contemplation of escalating Australia’s involvement to direct military engagement is, as one senior defence official said anonymously, “insanity.”

Ukraine isn’t in Australia’s geopolitical sphere, and the war has no direct bearing on Australian sovereignty or territorial integrity. Australia’s strategic priority must remain focused on the Indo-Pacific. Every asset, every dollar, every diplomatic lever should be concentrated in Australia — not sent to the other side of the planet to support a government widely criticised for endemic corruption.

Australia’s entanglement in European wars isn’t just a historical anachronism; it’s a costly mistake the nation has made repeatedly. From the trenches of the Western Front to the fields of Gallipoli, Australia has spent over a century following larger Western powers into wars that serve little to no strategic interest of its own.

The potential of repeating that history in Ukraine would again risk young Australian lives in the name of propping up the geopolitical and economic ambitions of others.

The suggestion also exposes a deeper and ongoing flaw in Australian foreign policy: its inability — or unwillingness — to say no to Washington, London, or NATO. Despite no treaty obligations binding Australia to European conflicts, successive governments have felt compelled to "show up" whenever the Western alliance calls, lest they risk perceived diplomatic snubs or weakened military partnerships.

Australia has no legitimate regional stakes in Eastern Europe. Russia doesn’t pose a direct threat to Australian security, just as it poses no direct military threat to Australia’s immediate region nor does it pose a threat to Europe’s security. Yet Albanese’s comments reveal the same reflexive loyalty that dragged Australia into Iraq and Afghanistan — wars whose justifications have since been thoroughly discredited.

Albanese’s remarks aren’t just naïve; they’re dangerous. There’s no Australian interest in Ukraine that justifies the risk of Australian soldiers dying there. What’s being demonstrated is our ongoing inability to carve out an independent foreign policy based on regional priorities.

While Albanese toys with hypotheticals about fighting in Europe, Australia's own neighbourhood requires Australia’s full diplomatic attention.

Australia’s backyard is in the Asia-Pacific, and that’s where our focus must be. Sending troops to Ukraine would signal to Australia’s neighbours that it is less interested in building meaningful partnerships throughout the region than in following NATO's marching orders.

Despite recent rhetoric about improving Pacific relationships, Australia’s actual regional engagement remains inconsistent. Overreliance on defence pacts like AUKUS and the Quad has done little to assuage fears that Canberra still prioritises the interests of the West over genuine Pacific development, cultural exchange, and economic integration.

Much of the justification for Australia’s involvement in Ukraine, and possibly beyond, has been couched in the language of “shared democratic values.” But values don’t constitute a national interest, nor do they justify sacrificing Australian lives. As public scepticism over foreign interventions grows, the Australian government is again positioning itself on the precipice of a war that’s got far more to do with Western economic dominance and strategic hegemony than defending democracy.

Australia needs to reconsider its foreign policy priorities. The insistence it must play the role of perpetual deputy sheriff to the US and NATO is outdated and unsustainable. Rather than exporting military force to distant battlefields, Australia should be building strong, resilient partnerships with its neighbours across the Asia-Pacific, investing in regional diplomacy, cultural ties, and economic collaboration.

Committing Australian men and women to another war — especially one in which Australia has no vital stake — is a failure of policy and leadership.