Photo:Getty images
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Laxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have announced a new aid package to Ukraine worth NZ$16 million (over USD9.4 million). The decision was made ahead of this week’s NATO summit in The Hague, the New Zealand government said in a statement.
“New Zealand stands in solidarity with Ukraine. Its defensive war is now in its fourth year, and our condemnation of Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion remains unchanged,” said Christopher Laxon.
According to the report, Wellington will transfer 4 million New Zealand dollars ($2.3 million) to two multinational funds that provide military assistance to Ukraine: the NATO Security Assistance and Training Ukraine (NSATU) mission fund and the Drone Coalition, led by the United Kingdom and Latvia.
“Ukraine’s defence has significant implications not only for the security of the Euro-Atlantic region, but also the Indo-Pacific. We must continue to work with other members of the international community to maintain a rules-based order that serves all of our interests,” said Foreign Secretary Winston Peters.
In addition, NZD 7 million (USD 4.1 million) will be used for humanitarian aid to communities in Ukraine affected by the war, and another NZD 1 million (USD 593 thousand) will be used to support Ukrainians who have been forced to leave the country and are now living in neighbouring countries.
“The scale of the need remains overwhelming as Russia continues to bomb densely populated civilian areas of Ukraine,” said Laxon.
As the New Zealand government reminds us, the new support package complements the recently announced sanctions against Russia’s “shadow fleet” and structures that assist Russia in its war against Ukraine.
“It is imperative that the international community continues to press Russia to end the war and join the efforts to bring a just and lasting peace to Ukraine,” Peters added.
Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia and New Zealand Vasyl Myroshnychenko thanked the New Zealand leadership for the new support package.
