Australia news LIVE: Trump can claim credit for Europe stepping up on Ukraine, Dutton says; Worsening extreme weather fuelling insurance crisis

As Europe steps in to support Ukraine after the United States takes steps to remove its aid and intelligence, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says Donald Trump can claim credit for the move.

Speaking to Sky News’s Chris Kenny on Wednesday night, Dutton reflected on Europe’s offer of assistance to Ukraine, including the UK and France’s commitment to boots on the ground as part of a coalition of the willing.

Dutton said he was pleased by the move, and he thinks “President Trump can claim credit for that”.

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“Back in his first presidency, he highlighted this fact, and the reality is that I think we’ve lived with a complacency since the end of the Second World War, particularly in Europe,” Dutton said.

“It’s right that we are part of strategic alliances, and we’ve certainly been a very close partner and remain so – always will be – with the US and the UK in particular, but other partners. But to see Europeans – Germany, Italy, France and other nations in Europe – start to increase the amount of money that they’re spending in their defence budgets, I think that is encouraging.”

Dutton said there is a lot more to do to “keep somebody like Putin at bay from traversing through Europe”, calling for the continent to ensure they are in the best position to defeat any act of aggression.