Australia is donating 49 tanks to Ukraine for the first time as Kyiv warns more military aid is necessary to repel Russia’s invasion.

The decommissioned M1A1 Abrams tanks are being given to Ukraine in a $245 million aid package after Kyiv called for them to be donated rather than scrapped or sold as Australia mulled what to do with the aged-out fleet.

The armoured tanks have cannons and machine guns and can hit targets at “extended ranges, day or night, even in adverse weather conditions”, according to the Australian Defence Force.

Ukrainian ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko welcomed the announcement, saying it would help strengthen the country’s military “given the scope of this war and how brutal it is”.

“This will be of huge help and used for various defensive lines and defensive operations,” he said.

Ukrainian soldiers knew how to use the tanks, which had been donated by the US in the past, he said.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy will speak to his Ukrainian counterpart at a NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels.

“We stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine in their fight against Russia’s illegal invasion,” he said.

“These tanks will deliver more firepower and mobility to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and complement the support provided by our partners for Ukraine.”

Ukraine will have the option to receive the tanks after some remediation works given they are near the end of their life, or to have their delivery expedited and used for spare parts or otherwise.

Australia will keep some of the tanks to help transition to a newer fleet.

It was a timely contribution from Australia, given reports North Korean troops had been sent to help Russia and might be weighing a bigger deployment to parts of Ukraine annexed by Moscow, the ambassador said.

“That is really a serious escalation, especially the co-operation between Russia and North Korea. That is a huge concern to Australia in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.

Russia has dismissed the reports as “fake news”.

The tanks bring Canberra’s total military aid contribution to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022 to $1.3 billion, which includes 120 Bushmaster vehicles.

A $250 million package announced in July by Defence Minister Richard Marles at a NATO summit included air defence missiles, guided weapons, anti-tank weapons, artillery, mortars and small arms ammunition.

“Australia’s support for Ukraine has not wavered since Russia’s illegal invasion, and Australia will continue standing with Ukraine,” Marles said in a statement announcing the latest package.

-AAP