Rt Hon Christopher Luxon
Prime Minister
Rt Hon Winston Peters
Minister of Foreign Affairs

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have announced a further $16 million of support for Ukraine, as it defends itself against Russia’s illegal invasion.

The announcement of further support for Ukraine comes as Prime Minister Luxon attends the NATO Leaders’ Summit in Washington DC.

“New Zealand will provide an additional $6 million in military assistance for Ukraine, and $10 million in humanitarian assistance for affected communities in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries,” Mr Luxon says.

Of the military assistance, New Zealand will provide $2 million to support military healthcare for Ukraine, and $4 million to the drone capability coalition for Ukraine led by the United Kingdom and Latvia.

“New Zealand understands that while we are distant from Ukraine, what happens there affects us all, and we are prepared to stand with Ukraine for the long haul.”

Winston Peters says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was a blatant violation of international law, including the UN Charter.

“It was illegal, unprovoked, and unjustified.

“Russia’s war of aggression has undermined global peace and security, and Russia’s obstruction at the United Nations has undermined the multilateral institutions charged with keeping all of us safe,” Mr Peters says.

The $16 million package will bring the total value of New Zealand’s assistance pledged in the past two and a half years to more than $130 million.

New sanctions under the Russia Sanctions Act 2022, focussed on individuals and entities providing military and strategic support for Russia’s aggression, will be announced in the coming days.

Note:

Since the invasion on 24 February 2022, New Zealand has pledged support valued at more than $130 million. With today’s announcement, that includes:

• Support for military training and equipment valued at $83 million, including up to 97 NZDF personnel deployed to Europe.
• $31.93 million in humanitarian assistance to conflict-affected Ukrainian communities in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries.
• $5.2 million in support for international legal processes and human rights monitoring.
• Other support for reconstruction, de-mining, cyber resilience, and governance reforms.
• Wide-ranging, comprehensive sanctions against organisations and individuals supporting Russia.

The drone capability coalition aims to supply tens of thousands of drones to Ukraine, including first-person view (FPV) drones, which have proven highly effective on the battlefield.  The coalition is jointly led by the UK and Latvia. More information is available at: www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-to-supply-thousands-of-drones-as-co-leader-of-major-international-capability-coalition-for-ukraine

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