MOSCOW, December 11 (Sputnik) — Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Thursday pledged to provide over two million dollars to Ukraine's armed forces, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's press service said.
The statement also said that Australia will give Ukraine $100 million within the framework of IMF (International Monetary Fund) assistance.
According to the press release, the leaders of the two countries also discussed the possibility of using Australian uranium for Ukrainian nuclear plants.
In the course of the meeting with Abbott, Poroshenko declared that the opening of the Australian embassy in Kiev next year would boost cooperation between Ukraine and Australia.
Poroshenko arrived in Australia on a state visit Thursday. The visit, which will be through December 13, also saw an agreement reached between Abbott and Poroshenko on starting cooperation in the field of energy, the statement said.
Ukraine has been caught up in a profound political and economic crisis since the overthrow of former President Viktor Yanukovych during a coup in February. People in eastern Ukraine refused to accept the legitimacy of the coup-installed government, which led the authorities to launch a military operation in April, and the eastern Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk to proclaim themselves sovereign states.
