By Jacob Shteyman in Canberra

Major Andrii Berezovskyi was not enjoying the winter cold as he shivered through Parliament House’s colonnaded front entrance.

But a crisp Canberra morning, when the grass atop capital hill frosts up like icing, is a far cry from the hostile winter conditions in eastern Ukraine’s snow-blanketed birch forests.

In February, Maj Berezovskyi lost nine troops and had three more taken prisoner amid fierce fighting in the woods surrounding Avdiivka.

It was one of the most pivotal battles in the 30 months since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

While his mission in Australia came with a much lower risk of death, it carried a similar purpose: to defend his homeland from Russian aggression.

The war in Ukraine seems a world away from Australia’s Pacific calm, but Maj. Berezovskyi sees the island nation as a crucial partner in his country’s fight for survival.

“The magnitude of the losses is huge and the world can’t stand on the sidelines and not do anything about this wrong that is happening right now,” he told AAP through a translator.

“The main goal of this trip is to relate to the Australian government and the Australian people that this war is not finished, there is very fierce fighting still going on.”

Ukrainian forces have suffered heavy losses in recent months, as Russia has sought to press home its numerical and material advantages before a record US aid package filters its way through to the front line.

Australia has provided modest but valued support to the Ukrainian war effort, with the Bendigo-built Bushmaster armoured vehicles gaining legendary status amongst fighters.

“It gives us the ability to save lives and make sure that our personnel are safe,” Maj Berezovskyi said.

“And for me as a commander that is the most important thing.”

But the one piece of kit that has defined Ukraine’s resistance has been the drone.

Low-cost and easy to assemble, practically the entire nation has pitched in as part of a home-made drone supply chain, emblematic of how Ukraine’s ingenuity and devotion to the cause has kept them in the fight against their larger and better-resourced enemy.

“The Ukrainians have been imposing a combat loss ratio on the Russians from three to one to eight to one at various stages in the war,” said retired Australian army major general Mick Ryan.

“So they’re able to neutralise Russia’s manpower advantage with clever tactics and basically dedication to what they’re doing.”

Alongside Maj. Berezovskyi on his mission around Australia is Pavlo Tsapiuk, a former 3D printer engineer who began running drones to the front line once the war began with his charity Military Post.

As they met with parliamentarians, weapons manufacturers and members of the Ukrainian community, the pair wanted to remind Australians of the importance of Ukraine’s fight as a bulwark against totalitarianism and to garner more financial and diplomatic aid.

But Mr Tsapiuk also wants to return the support by lending Ukraine’s drone expertise to partners like Australia.

“We cannot just ask give us help, support us, give us money,” he said.

“Now we can give you something new. We have this experience. We want you to grow in this sphere and to protect our country together.”

Mr Tsapiuk is optimistic for Ukraine’s future, but isn’t deluding himself about its chances for victory.

“I am sure that this war will not end in the close future,” he said.

“I was abroad maybe 50 times, getting aid and taking it back to Ukraine. If I had no hope, if I thought Ukraine had no chance, I would have stopped in some European country and lived there.”

As the stalemate drags on, talks of a negotiated peace have grown louder.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told his Chinese counterpart he would be open to talks with the Kremlin if they were committed to negotiating in good faith.

A “no-limits partner” of Russia, China’s growing involvement in peace talks could potentially be a significant boost for the chances of an armistice.

But Mr Tsapiuk was sceptical about the prospects of diplomatic success.

He, like many of his compatriots, is incapable of trusting the Russians after their violation of the Minsk Agreements, which was intended to end the conflict in the Donbas and preserve Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

“We saw in 2022 what these papers were worth: nothing,” he said.

“So if we go with hands up, okay peace, this is our choice for our children. They will be fighting against this evil.”

Mr Ryan said Ukrainians had seen enough evidence of the consequences of Russian occupation to dissuade them from ceding any territory to the Kremlin.

“The Ukrainians will continue to fight for some time, because they know there is actually a worse option than fighting on,” he said.

“The hard choices are really going to be in Washington, Brussels, Berlin and other places, about how much are they willing to expend to defend Ukraine.

“It’s a difficult situation for Ukraine at the moment, and in many respects, it’s the low end of the war for them, but they’ve still managed to hold out.

“That should tell us something about the future of this war that, even when things are at the worst the Russians can’t defeat the Ukrainians, so I think we should be a little bit more optimistic about their prospects.”