Critically ill patients say they’re “bitterly disappointed” by today’s Pharmac Budget announcement and were left looking into each other’s eyes knowing some among them would now likely face an earlier death.The Government’s announced…

Former US President George W Bush was left red-faced after accidentally condemning a Russian invasion of "Iraq" – the country his own White House decided to attack in 2003.

Bush was one of a series of speakers at his own Presidential Centre, alongside former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, among others.

The 43rd US president, who served from 2001 to 2008, launched a sustained rhetorical assault on Vladimir Putin's regime.

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"Russian elections are rigged. Political opponents are imprisoned or otherwise eliminated from the electoral process," Bush said.

"The result is an absence of checks and balances in Russia, and the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq.

"I mean, Ukraine."

Quieter, Bush muttered "Iraq, too", before glancing back up at the audience and saying "75" – an apparent reference to his age.

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His accidental reference to the deadly conflict, which sparked a fall in US prestige around the world and saw hundreds of thousands of people killed, drew laughter from the audience.

Bush also praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, comparing him to Winston Churchill, and saying he led his country heroically against Russian aggression.

The Bush administration invaded Iraq in March 2003, claiming the US had intelligence that then-dictator Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

No such weapons were found, but Hussein's regime was toppled and a democratic government installed.

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Bush declared victory in May 2003, but US troops remained in Iraq until 2011.

Estimates of casualties vary but typically are thought to be several hundred thousand, with many more replaced.

About 5000 US troops were ultimately killed during military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq launched by the Bush administration.

It is also thought that the invasion of Iraq contributed to the rise of ISIS, with many ex-Hussein officers and soldiers serving in the terror group's command structure.

A Ukrainian family now calls Queensland home after fleeing war-torn Kyiv.

Met by their Australian cousin Olena Torchynska in Poland, young twins Arina and Kiril Torchynska with their mother Sasha Torchynska, grandparents, cousin and auntie escaped Ukraine to travel to Australia, before finding a home in Redcliffe in Brisbane.

"They only basically arrived with the shirts on their back because they didn't have time to pack," Olena Torchynska translated.

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"They made the decision within 10 minutes and put everything in the car, they literally arrived with nothing and it was winter so it was very difficult."

The family is now working to improve their English and find jobs while the young twins attend school on a full scholarship.

At every opportunity, the family seeks out news from back home and checks in with family members forced to stay behind.

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During a Facetime call to the twins' father, Vovo Torchynska, mandated to stay behind to assist with ongoing war efforts, the lights in their Kyiv home are switched off due to ongoing air raids.

"Really missing his family," Olena Torchynska translates.

"He's saying there's shooting and shelling going on at the moment in Kyiv."

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Sasha Torchynska said settling in a new country has been extremely challenging but a decision ultimately made to protect her family.

"We come because we tried to save our family, we tried to save our children," she said.

"It was very hard to leave our husbands in Ukraine everything is new for us in Australia.

"Everyday we look at the news."

The seven family members are sharing a two-bedroom rental in south-east Queensland, with hopes of finding new jobs and a bigger place to stay.

Despite their heartbreak, they say the Redcliffe community has been incredibly welcoming, providing them with clothing, essentials and services like free haircuts to assist wherever they can.

This week, a fundraising event was held at the Moreton Daily Stadium, supported by the Vidler Family Foundation and community donations, to help the Torchynska's get back on their feet.

"I'm hoping to pay for immigration lawyers and transport, a car for the family," Olena Torchynska said.

For the family, their greatest hope is an end to the war and to be reunited with their loved ones.

"Stop the war," Yana Torchynska said.

"It's a big hope."

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