Trump will 'hopefully' forgive Kevin Rudd: opposition

Donald Trump will "hopefully" forgive Australian ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd over his past attacks on the president-elect, says opposition foreign spokesman Simon Birmingham amid concerns over the key relationship.

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The coalition's foreign policy objectives were laid out by Senator Birmingham in an an address to the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday.

He pointed to Mr Trump's pick for secretary of state being Marco Rubio, despite the Florida senator having "had some pretty sharp things to say about him".

Senior adviser to Mr Trump Dan Scavino posted on X, formerly Twitter, a gif of sand falling through an hourglass, in response to Dr Rudd's statement congratulating the president-elect on his win.

"Hopefully ... the type of forgiveness that has been demonstrated to those members of the new administration will be extended in this case as well," Senator Birmingham said.

"Now, Ambassador Rudd and the prime minister are the ones who are in the box seat to best make the assessment in coming weeks or months about how effectively he is going to be able to continue to have the influence and get the outcomes that Australia needs."

Asked if the coalition would support sending Australian troops to Taiwan in the face of an invasion by Beijing, Senator Birmingham wouldn't commit to military action.

"In the eventuality that it unfolds, what the nature of conflict is, what role the US or others undertake, these are all unknowns before we get to the question of how Australia will respond," he said.

"Our prime job is to deter it in the first place and to work with our partners to try to deter that from happening."

In response to comments made by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that Australia as a middle power could play a role in managing the competition between the US and China, Senator Birmingham said the nation was "a few steps away" from that.

In his speech, the Liberal senator said Russia should be made to pay a higher price for its aggression and that a "just peace" should be sought for Ukraine.

Asked if the coalition was prepared to disagree with the Trump administration on what an end to the conflict should look like, Senator Birmingham said he had been clear in setting out the "benchmarks" for a deal where Ukrainians "felt safe and secure in their sovereignty".

"What that pathway is matters enormously, not just to Ukrainian people but ... to China and to others around the rest of the world, about what aggression can yield and where lines will be drawn," he said.

"We need those lines to be drawn in a way that deters future aggression rather than increases the risk of it."

Australian Associated Press

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