Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls for Australia to reopen embassy in Kyiv

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for Australia to reopen its embassy in Kyiv.

In a press conference on the anniversary of Russia's invasion of his country, Zelenskyy was asked by SBS reporter Ben Lewis if he wanted to see the embassy reopened.

"It's so nice to hear a question that you can say yes to," Zelensky replied in Ukrainian.

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Switching to English, he said he wanted to welcome Australia's ambassador back to Ukraine.

"I'll be very happy, really. I have relations with Australia and they really helped us a lot," he said.

"I have had a huge deficit with armed vehicles – I don't want to share all of the information [about] how many we have got from Australia, but anyway we've got it and that is great.

"That's why, to shake hands with the ambassador of Australia – I would do it with pleasure.

"Please come. Come back. But on Bushmaster," he joked.

Australia has donated dozens of Bushmasters, a powerful armoured car, to the Ukrainian military.

The Australian embassy in Kyiv closed in January last year, as thousands of Russian troops massed on the border ahead of the invasion.

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But while most of the embassies in Kyiv have since reopened, Australia's remains closed.

Australia's diplomatic mission in Ukraine has been based in Poland since the invasion.

The consular advice from the embassy is that Australians should not travel to Ukraine "due to the volatile security situation and Russia's illegal, unjustified and unprovoked military aggression against Ukraine".

Australians currently in Ukraine are urged to leave immediately.

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