Pacifist New Zealand refuses to send weapons to help Ukraine repel Russian invaders and will only send ‘humanitarian’ aid
- New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern said she will not send weapons to Ukraine
- The Prime Minister said she will send humanitarian aid as there is a ‘gap there’
- Many nations including Australia agreed to send weapons to support Ukrainians
- Ms Ardern is also working on legislation to allow NZ to impose Russian sanctions
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand is sending humanitarian aid to Ukraine rather than weapons as there is a ‘gap’ there in the international response.
New Zealand has joined with the international community to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but it is not supporting Ukraine’s military resistance.
Rather than sending financial support to the military – or lethal or non-lethal arms – New Zealand is focusing elsewhere.
‘We’ve stepped into the humanitarian space because we see a gap and a need there,’ Ms Ardern said in Wellington on Wednesday.
New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern has opted not to send weapons to support Ukraine in their fight to repel Russia but will instead send humanitarian aid as there ‘is a gap there’
New Zealand is also lagging other countries in the sanctions it places on Russia, as it is hamstrung by its own legislation which requires sign-off by the United Nations Security Council.
Given Russia has veto power on the UN body, New Zealand has been limited to implementing travel bans on the movement of Russian government officials.
Ms Ardern said she was working on a bespoke piece of legislation that would enable New Zealand to join the international sanctions effort.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked Western countries for support in the form of military aid and heavy sanctions against Russia (pictured: in Kyiv, Ukraine)
Russia launched a full-scale assault on Ukraine on February 24 with several Ukrainian cities suffering regular shelling (pictured: Ukrainian service members ride in tanks towards the front line)
‘My expectation is we’ll have something ready to go next week. We will also talk to other political parties about support for their package as well,’ she said.
‘This will very much focus on the gaps that exist through the potential movement of assets and investment out of Russia.’
Ms Ardern said the expulsion of the Russian ambassador in Wellington remained ‘on the table’.
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