'Got it wrong': Peter Dutton blasts Donald Trump over Ukraine, Putin

After Mr Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator" and blamed him for the war that started when Russia invaded his country in 2022, Mr Dutton said the US President "got it wrong" and that Australia "should stand strong and proud with the people of Ukraine".

"It was an act of aggression, and it was unprovoked," Mr Dutton told 2GB radio on Thursday.

"President Trump has got it wrong."

He said Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose talking points are seen by many as being parroted by Mr Trump, "is a murderous dictator, and we shouldn't be giving him an inch".

The Opposition Leader said while the US was an important ally of Australia, including under the AUKUS deal, there was no question that Ukraine deserved to be supported in the face of Russian aggression.

"It's a democracy, and this is a fight for civilisation," he said.

"I think very, very careful thought needs to be given about the next steps because if we make Europe less safe, or we provide some sort of support to Putin, deliberately or inadvertently, that is a terrible, terrible outcome."

Mr Albanese said when asked about Mr Trump's comments: "I speak for Australia's interest and Australia stands with Ukraine in their struggle, which is a struggle not just for their own national sovereignty, but it's a struggle to stand up for the international rule of law."

The Prime Minister, who spoke at a press conference in Whyalla, South Australia, where he announced a $2.4 billion rescue package for the local steelworks after it was placed into administration, is engaged in a high-stakes negotiation with Mr Trump over sweeping 25 per cent US tariffs about to hit steel and aluminium exports.

The President agreed to consider a carve-out for Australian products after a phone call with Mr Albanese last week, but in the official proclamation that imposed the tariffs, White House officials accused Australia of disregarding a "verbal commitment" to restrain aluminium exports under an earlier carve-out deal struck with the first Trump administration.

Asked how the tariff negotiations were going and whether Whyalla would be able to survive the US tariffs if an exemption was not secured, Mr Albanese told reporters on Thursday: "Whyalla has a great future here and what we're doing today is securing that future."

On Wednesday, Mr Trump described US aid to Ukraine as a "gravy train", implying corruption in the country's use of support and suggesting Mr Zelenskyy had an interest in the war continuing.

Posting to the Truth social media platform after a meeting between US and Russian officials to discuss ending the war - without any Ukrainian representation - Mr Trump wrote that Mr Zelenskyy had talked the United States of America into spending hundreds of billions of dollars "to go into a war that couldn't be won, that never had to start".

Defence Minister Richard Marles said when asked if Mr Zelenskyy was a dictator: "No."

"I'm not about to give you a running commentary on all the remarks that are made by the US President," Mr Marles told reporters in Brisbane on Thursday.

"The war in Ukraine must be resolved on Ukraine's terms, because the aggressor here is Russia, and what we see at stake is the integrity of the global rules-based order," he said.

"We welcome attempts to bring it to an end, but it cannot be on any terms, it must be on Ukraine's terms, and we'll continue to support Ukraine in that."

Australia had provided about $1.5 billion worth of support to Ukraine, Mr Marles said.