Scott Morrison opened his address by echoing the US' statements that "the invasion of Ukraine has effectively already begun".

He strongly condemned the "unprovoked" and "unacceptable" action.

Mr Morrison also said Russia was "at peak readiness to now complete a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and that is likely to occur within the next 24 hours. There are even reports already of shelling and things of that nature which could indicate that it has already begun."

He added that liberal democracies needed to stand together to oppose authoritarian states "seeking to have their way".