Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to travel to Europe for security talks as Ukraine commemorates the 500-day anniversary of its war with Russia. Albanese’s first stop will be in Berlin, where he will meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to discuss Ukraine’s struggle against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime, as well as economic and business matters such as industry modernization and clean energy. They are also likely to touch on Australia’s pursuit of a free trade agreement with the European Union. Albanese will then head to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, where he will join New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and the leaders of Japan and South Korea to share their perspectives on regional and global security. This meeting, dubbed the “Indo-Pacific Four,” is part of NATO’s effort to strengthen ties with like-minded partners worldwide. Albanese is expected to meet with various European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has claimed over 9,000 civilian lives and caused almost 16,000 injuries. While the opposition has criticized Australia’s support package for Ukraine for falling short of their military capability requests, Education Minister Jason Clare hinted that more support could be on the way. Australia recently pledged an additional $110 million in aid, bringing their total assistance to $790 million.