<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/anthony-albanese" rel="" target="" title="Anthony Albanese"><span>Anthony Albanese</span></a><span> will join a phone call with a host of prominent European and other Western world leaders this weekend to discuss a potential </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/russia-ukraine" rel="" target="" title="peacekeeping mission in Ukraine"><span>peacekeeping mission in Ukraine</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The prime minister confirmed today that he had been invited by UK counterpart Sir Keir Starmer to join the call tomorrow night, although said it was not certain what would come from the conference.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I look forward to re-engaging with President Zelenskyy but with other democratic leaders as well," Albanese told reporters today.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/us-influencer-embroiled-in-wombat-scandal-leaves-australia/29fa7200-b995-40d1-acca-75f288ffc1c4"><strong><span>US influencer at centre of wombat scandal flees Australia</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I won't pre-empt what comes out of that meeting but Australia has of course stood with Ukraine since the beginning of this process."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Other leaders also attending include Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy, France's Emmanuel Macron, New Zealand's Christopher Luxon, Canada's new Prime Minister Mark Carney and representatives from Germany and Italy.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The meeting comes weeks after Starmer first proposed putting British troops on the ground in Ukraine to maintain any eventual peace deal with Russia, which was followed by Albanese saying he would consider any request for Australian soldiers to join such a coalition of the willing.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/anthony-albanese-phone-call-european-leaders-ukraine-peacekeeping-troops-keir-starmer/cd77dc57-e0cd-478a-8473-82b99bdcdea5" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It's an illegal war. It's an immoral war. And it's one led by a Russian authoritarian dictator who has imperialistic designs on Ukraine and the region," Albanese said today.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/courtney-morleyclarke-murder-australias-youngest-murderer-to-walk-from-prison/90209618-125d-4adb-bf76-c887cfd71e2d"><strong><span>Australia's youngest murderer out of prison</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This is a struggle for national sovereignty for the Ukrainian people but also a struggle for the rule of international law that is so important.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"That's why you have such overwhelming support from democratic nations."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He added that no peacekeeping plans have been committed to yet.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We don't have peace, so therefore we don't have a peacekeeping agreement," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Starmer, who has led efforts for a united European response to the war since Donald Trump re-entered the White House, has previously pledged to produce plan for peace in Ukraine to be presented to the United States.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/russia-ukraine-updates-russia-says-it-has-retaken-kursks-biggest-town-as-vladimir-putin-adviser-says-truce-would-help-ukraine/c32b3548-ae8f-4dc3-b2bb-761cecd859f7"><strong><span>Putin agrees in principal with US ceasefire proposal</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has said he wouldn't send ADF personnel to Ukraine, and dismissed the idea this morning as a "thought bubble".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We should continue to support Ukraine, but not with troops on the ground in Ukraine," Dutton said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"(Support for Ukraine) did have a bipartisan position and it appears that Mr Dutton has walked away from that," Albanese countered this afternoon.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"That's a decision for him. But we stand with Ukraine and we stand against and remain committed to opposing the actions of Vladimir Putin."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Overnight, </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/russia-ukraine-updates-russia-says-it-has-retaken-kursks-biggest-town-as-vladimir-putin-adviser-says-truce-would-help-ukraine/c32b3548-ae8f-4dc3-b2bb-761cecd859f7" rel="" target="" title='Putin said there are "issues" with a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire'><span>Putin said there are "issues" with a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire</span></a><span> that</span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/ukraine-russia-war-ukraine-accepts-us-proposal-for-30-day-ceasefire/bd2558cc-4714-487d-add2-93313db04f94" rel="" target="" title="Ukraine has agreed to"><span>Ukraine has agreed to</span></a><span>, although said he agrees in principle to the plan.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><strong><span>Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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