Richard Marles has arrived in Washington DC and will soon begin rubbing shoulders with the world's leaders as he attends the three-day NATO Summit in place of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Though the primary attendees are the signatories of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, 32 of their allies will also join them when official events kick off on Tuesday in the US.
Ahead of the summit, Mr Marles said Australia deeply valued its partnership with NATO.
"Our connection with NATO has never been more important," he told reporters in Washington.
The Walter E. Washington Convention Center will host the 75th NATO summit. (AP PHOTO)
"The 75th anniversary of NATO reminds us that over that period of time, NATO has been a defender of peace in the world, in the post-World War order, in the Cold War and now, today.
"We see that the world is much more connected place, Ukraine puts that into stark relief, and the significance of that conflict on the Indo Pacific."
Anxieties over the war in Ukraine have reignited after Russian troops bombed a children's hospital in Kyiv on Monday.
Top politicians including Mr Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong have condemned the attack and Mr Marles is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during the summit.
"We obviously want to understand how the war in Ukraine is being prosecuted, how we can support, what implications that has for our region and we also want to look at ways in which we can cooperate with NATO more," Mr Marles said.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles says the NATO pact has never been more important. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)
Mr Albanese was expected to attend the summit himself but deferred to his second-in-command to focus on domestic matters.
The event, which will be led by US President Joe Biden, will also be viewed as a test of his fitness as the octogenarian struggles to convince Americans that he is fit for a second term.
Asked about his confidence in the US leader, Mr Marles said Mr Biden had done a "magnificent job".
"We really couldn't be happier with the presence of his administration ... the way in which he has played a leadership role in the Indo-Pacific but in fact throughout the world," he said.
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