Australia makes second AUKUS payment despite US review

Australia has paid a second installment of $525 million to the United States under the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement, even as the Trump administration continues a formal review of the deal, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday.

Speaking to national broadcaster ABC, Albanese confirmed that the latest payment to Washington was made according to the agreed schedule, following the first installment of $500 million in February.

US President Donald Trump initiated a review of the A$368 billion ($247 billion) AUKUS pact in June to assess whether it aligns with his "America First" policy priorities.

Rejecting suggestions that the payment was additional or extraordinary in light of the review, Albanese said: "It's not an extra payment. It's a scheduled payment that we are making."

"There's a schedule of payments to be made. We have an agreement with the US as well as with the UK, it is about increasing their industrial capacity," he added.

When asked about the clarity of the ongoing review, Albanese declined to comment directly, saying, "We have an agreement with the United States. The United Kingdom has a review as well."

As part of the 2021 AUKUS alliance, the US, UK, and Australia are jointly developing nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy.