Advocacy, sanctions, and visas: Argyrou on priorities of Australia’s Ukrainian community

The priorities of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organizations (AFUO) currently focus on advocating for military aid to Ukraine, lobbying for sanctions on Russian oil imports that fund the Kremlin, supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and resolving visa issues for Ukrainian displaced persons.

This was stated by Kateryna Argyrou, the Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Sydney, and head of the AFUO, in an interview with SBS Ukrainian.

Argyrou expressed concern over Australia’s insufficient military support despite “very warm” meetings with politicians. According to her, no new military aid packages have been announced since October 2024.

“Why this military and other aid has not been delivered, I don’t know whether it’s bureaucracy or other distractions. But our job as a community is to keep the focus on Ukraine and ensure the world does not forget what is happening there,” Argyrou said.

At the same time, she said that the Australian government has been systematically imposing sanctions on Russia, particularly targeting the oil sector. Nevertheless, the community continues to pay close attention to financial flows to Russia.

“We are actively lobbying and advocating for the Australian government to close the sanction loophole and impose restrictions to ban imports of refined Russian oil,” Argyrou said.

Argyrou said that, according to estimates, Australia has paid Russia over $2 billion for refined oil, while military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine totals only $1.5 billion.

“So, we are providing $1.5 billion in aid to Ukraine, but Australia has sent over $2 billion to Russia. That is wrong,” she said.