Foreign Minister Penny Wong will speak at the UN General Assembly today to attack Vladimir Putin'sPutin's nuclear threats weak and desperate while calling on China and the global community to ramp up pressure on Moscow to end its invasion of Ukraine.
Australia has been a forceful critic of Russia's invasion and has been the largest donor of military equipment to Ukraine outside NATO.
After Mr Putin announced earlier this week that Russia will mobilize hundreds of thousands of people to fight in Ukraine after suffering a series of military setbacks, Senator Wong will intensify her criticism.
We cannot accept a situation in which large countries determine the fate of smaller countries. Senator Wong will say that Russia's illegal, immoral invasion of Ukraine can't be normalised and can't be minimised.
Russia's attack on Ukraine is an attack on all smaller countries. It is an assertion that a larger country is entitled to subjugate a smaller neighbour to decide whether or not another country can exist. Putin made thinly-veiled threats to use nuclear weapons when he announced the partial mobilisation, saying Russia would certainly make use of all weapon systems available to us if its territorial integrity was threatened.
Senator Wong said his warning was unthinkable earlier this week, and she'll tell the General Assembly today that they were a reminder of the dangers posed by nuclear weapons.
Australia has always pursued a world without nuclear weapons, and we will redouble our efforts to achieve this goal and strengthen the non-proliferation regime. Foreign Minister to call on China to ramp up pressure on Moscow.
The foreign minister will take aim at Russia's conduct at the UN during the war in Ukraine.
Russia used its position as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council to block a resolution denouncing its invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, while China abstained.
Senator Wong will suggest that Russia's actions could undermine the credibility of the body.
The foreign minister will say that it was never intended that the Security Council veto power would be used to allow unchecked abuse of the UN charter by the countries that were given the veto.
She will reiterate that Australia supports the reform of the Security Council to ensure greater representation for Africa, Latin America, and Asia, including India and Japan. She's going to call on Beijing to ramp up pressure on Russia to bring the war to an end.
She will say that it is important for countries who play leading roles in international fora, and countries with influence on Russia, to exert their influence to end this war.
In this pursuit, the world looks to China, a great power, a permanent member of the Security Council, with no limits partnership with Russia.