The Prime Minister is on his way to Spain for what he has called an "absolutely critical" NATO summit in Madrid.

The leaders of Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea have been invited to the summit, which is expected to be dominated by the war in Ukraine.

Before departing on Sunday evening, Anthony Albanese said the world was "uncertain" since the Russian invasion.

"The Russian invasion of Ukraine has upset the norms that we regarded, that the rule of law would be maintained that sovereign nation's borders would be respected, and that we wouldn't see the sort of brutal invasion that we've seen from Russia in Ukraine," he said.

The PM said he also had concerns over what implications Russia's actions had for world security, including in the Indo-Pacific region.

"Russia and China, their arrangements and closeness that has occurred in recent times means that it's also very important for our region," he said.

"The people of Ukraine are doing the democratic world, an enormous service. But it's important that democratic nation stand with Ukraine. That's the context of this NATO Summit."

Mr Albanese is expected to land in Madrid late on Monday and has a full week of engagements planned while he is in Europe, including bilateral talks with several world leaders while in Europe, including US President Joe Biden.

"I look forward to attending the NATO Summit and contributing," Mr Albanese said.

The Prime Minister has been invited to visit Ukraine by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, something he says he is still taking advice on.

"We want to make sure that it is safe to do so and that we're not placing Australian service personnel at risk by undertaking such a journey.

"It certainly is appreciated, the fact that President Zelenskyy has made this invitation to Australia, and we regard it as a good thing if it's able to be undertaken," he said.

While in Europe, the Prime Minister will also be making a trip to Paris to speak with French President Emmaunel Macron.

The meeting has been deemed a significant step forward since the cancellation of the 90-billion-dollar submarine contract by the previous government.