New Zealand will provide Ukraine with a new aid package of 16 million New Zealand dollars (over 9.4 million US dollars).
Points of attention
- New Zealand will provide Ukraine with a 16 million New Zealand dollar aid package, comprising military and humanitarian assistance.
- The aid includes support for Ukraine's defense capabilities through NATO security funds.
- A portion of the funds will be allocated to multinational efforts providing lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine, emphasizing the importance of upholding a rules-based order.
- Part of the aid will also focus on assisting affected communities within Ukraine and supporting Ukrainian refugees in neighboring countries.
- The international community, including New Zealand, is urged to continue pressuring Russia to end the war and work towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Ukraine will receive aid from New Zealand
This was announced by Prime Minister Christopher Lacson and Foreign Minister Winston Peters on the eve of the NATO summit in The Hague.
The package will include both military and humanitarian aid.
In particular, 4 million New Zealand dollars (2.3 million US dollars) will be sent to multinational funds that provide Ukraine with lethal and non-lethal assistance — the NATO Security Assistance Fund (NSATU) and the "Drone Coalition", which is coordinated by Britain and Latvia.
The defense of Ukraine has significant implications not only for the security of the Euro-Atlantic region, but also for the Indo-Pacific. We must continue to work with other members of the international community to uphold a rules-based order that serves all of our interests.
Another NZD 7 million (USD 4.1 million) will go to support affected communities inside Ukraine, and NZD 1 million (USD 593,000) will go to help Ukrainians who have found refuge in neighboring countries.
The scale of the needs remains enormous as Russia continues to bomb densely populated civilian areas of Ukraine.
Wellington also recalled the recently introduced sanctions against the Russian "shadow fleet" and individuals involved in the continuation of the war.
It is crucial that the international community continue to pressure Russia to end the war and join efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
