Australia Will Block New Russian Embassy Near Parliament: PM

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Thursday the government would block a new Russian embassy near the country's parliament, citing threats to national security.

Russia currently holds the lease for a parcel of land near Parliament House in Australia's capital Canberra, where it aims to construct its new embassy building.

The Australian government has been trying in vain to terminate the longstanding lease agreement, which was first inked in 2008.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that, after other legal avenues had failed, new laws would be introduced to block the development on national security grounds.

"The government has received very clear security advice as to the risk posed by a new Russian presence so close to Parliament House," he told reporters.

"We are acting quickly to ensure the lease site does not become a formal diplomatic presence."

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said Russia's proposed new embassy posed a clear threat.

"The principal problem with the proposed second Russian embassy in Canberra is its location," she said.

"The location sits directly adjacent to Parliament House."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)