Anthony Albanese has called for all Russian diplomats to be ejected from Australia – apart from the Kremlin’s top envoy to Canberra.
The Opposition Leader says the Morrison government should follow the lead of European partners in expelling Russian officials to take a stand against their President Vladimir Putin.
The Russian military assault on Ukraine has sparked international condemnation in the five weeks since Mr Putin began his invasion of his smaller neighbour.
Labor’s call for Russian diplomats to be removed from Australia comes after distressing images were reported of mass graves and dead civilians in the streets in the town of Bucha near Kyiv.
But Mr Albanese will not call for the expulsion of Russia’s Ambassador to Australia, Aleksey Pavlovsky.
Ukraine’s Charge d’Affaires to Australia, Volodymyr Shalkivskyi, three weeks ago declared Dr Pavlovsky should be “expelled” to send a message to Russia.
European Union nations including France, Germany and Italy have in recent days expelled more than 200 diplomats and stafxjmtzywf in total, while allowing ambassadors to remain in most cases, Mr Albanese said on Tuesday.
Mr Albanese noted Foreign Minister Marise Payne had said the matter was being kept “under review … at the highest levels of the government”.
“It is hard to conceive how the decision can be made to allow these individuals to stay, given the sickening abuses being carried out by Russian forces,” Mr Albanese said.
Senator Payne – who is in Brussels for a meeting on Ukraine with NATO partners – has backed US President Joe Biden’s call for Mr Putin to be tried as a war criminal.
Senator Payne said the emerging evidence of potential war crimes in Ukraine – including the “butchering of people in mass graves” – should be investigated by the International Criminal Court.
Mr Albanese on Tuesday said Labor supported all efforts to ensure the alleged crimes were thoroughly investigated and prosecuted through the International Criminal Court process.
He backed the federal government’s decision to send Australian experts to assist in the investigation.
“The mass killing of innocent civilians and the use of rape as a weapon of war can only be described as war crimes,” Mr Albanese said.
“Those responsible must be held to account – and in the first instance there must be immediate diplomatic consequences.”
Ukraine’s newly installed Ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, this week rejected any prospect of a peace deal, saying Russian troops had been committing war crimes.
