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The defence minister, Richard Marles, has condemned the latest nuclear threat from Russia as “appalling”, and says Australia is preparing to support Ukraine for a protracted military conflict.
Speaking on Sunday, the deputy prime minister said the threat from the Russian president Vladimir Putin last week to use the country’s nuclear arsenal as part of its ongoing war with Ukraine could “not be allowed to stand”.
“Certainly the comments cause anxiety, you can’t hide from that,” Marles told Sky News.
“We’ve heard the president make those threats before [and] they are appalling comments to make.
“It is clearly an appalling thing to do, to place that potential on the table.”
In a televised address to the nation last week, Putin said that Russia was positioning itself in response to the threat from the west, which “wants to destroy our country”, as he threatened to use the “various means of destruction” it had at its disposal.
“When the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal,” Putin said.
“It’s not a bluff.”
The comments sparked widespread condemnation and the threat of more sanctions from G7 countries, while the foreign minister, Penny Wong, suggested the government would consider the expulsion of the Russian ambassador in response.
