You're reading: Australia cool on expanding sanctions against Russia

Washington - Australia is unlikely to immediately follow the US and EU's lead in imposing further sanctions on Russia because it still needs Moscow's help in aiding the unarmed police mission's safe passage to the MH17 crash site, the Sydney Morning Herald wrote on Wednesday, July 30.

“At the moment our focus is not on sanctions – our focus is on
bringing home our dead,” the publication said, citing Australian Prime
Minister Tony Abbott.

He said that the investigators would not be deterred.

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again – that’s the
approach that the Australian government and our international partners,
particularly the Dutch have got to this,” he said.

“If it doesn’t happen today we’ll try again tomorrow, if it doesn’t happen tomorrow we’ll try again the next day,” he added.

Abbott said the situation on the ground remained “fluid” but the
government would not be taking sides between Russia and Ukraine “at
least at this time”.

Standing alongside the prime minister in Sydney on Wednesday,
Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey said Moscow’s support for the unarmed
mission was vital for the team’s support.

“We have unarmed federal police going in, it is high risk and our
primary risk is to get our dead Australians out of there and then deal
with the other issues after that,” he said.