Petition requesting that Parliament urge the Government to expel the ambassador of the Russian Federation and sever diplomatic relations with Russia will be submitted 11 August, 1.30pm for presenting by Dr Gaurav Sharma MP to NZ House of Representatives.

With the Labour MP accepting the petition, the expulsion of the Russian ambassador might be gaining cross-party support as National's foreign affairs spokesperson Gerry Brownlee has been calling on the Government to expel Zuev since February and Act and the Greens have supported that call.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in April expulsion remains on the table. Reports of Ukraine civilians who had been killed, raped and severely wounded by Russian troops are multiple providing every piece of evidence of “the fact that there are war crimes being committed by Russia in Ukraine”.

Many Western governments, including New Zealand, have said they believe there is evidence of war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine following the Russian military’s bombing and brutal killing of civilians, notably those in Bucha, where victims were found in mass graves near Kyiv. An estimated 400 Russian diplomatic officials were expelled from Europe since the invasion, as in April, according to Foreign Policy magazine. Among NATO members, at least 24 out of 30 member states asked Russian officials to leave.

Expelling foreign dignitaries from embassies isn’t a new phenomenon in diplomacy. The measure is permitted by the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, granting receiving states the right to remove the head of a mission or any member of its diplomatic staff—deeming them persona non grata—without having to explain why.

Nations recently expelled Russian diplomats: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.

Media welcome. Dr Gaurav Sharma MP is happy to give a little speech after Roman Kashpir – the petition initiator on behalf of friends of Ukraine - has spoken.

Meet on Parliament Grounds Seddon Statue area and front lawn, as authorised by office of the Speaker, https://fb.me/e/4StnHT1HI to support the handover of the petition.

Petition is available at: https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/petitions/document/PET_119820/petition-of-roman-kashpir-on-behalf-of-friends-of-ukraine

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