Improving spring weather and a new influx of Western weapons and equipment has the Ukraine conflict poised to enter a new phase.
New Zealand has sent its Foreign Affairs Minister, Nanaia Mahuta, to Belgium today to attend a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) meeting this coming week.
Mahuta departs for Europe as Russia is expected to launch a spring counteroffensive in Ukraine, as reported by the Associated Press.
With no suggestion of a negotiated end to the 13-month war between Ukraine and Russia, the Ukrainians have announced a counteroffensive that could begin as soon as this month.
Mahuta has told the media that her presence at the meeting is valuable in expressing the country’s ongoing condemnation of Russia’s “illegal invasion” of Ukraine.
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta. Photo / Mark Mitchell
“Nato is a long-standing and like-minded partner for Aotearoa New Zealand,” she said in a statement.
“[It’s important to attend the meeting] as Nato and New Zealand work to renew our formal partnership this year.”
The minister’s departure for the Belgian capital will be the country’s latest demonstration of support for the alliance of nations since former prime minister Jacinda Ardern attended a Nato summit in Madrid last year.
Nato and New Zealand have been engaged in dialogue and co-operation for over 25 years, including the nation’s support for Nato-led efforts in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021.
During the meeting, Mahuta intends to address shared security challenges, many of which she said are “global in nature” with wide-ranging implications, including in the Pacific.
“The visit will also provide the opportunity to hold bilateral calls with a number of my counterparts from the Nato allies and our other close partners,” she said.
Ukrainian soldiers fire a self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions near Bakhmut, Donetsk region on March 5, 2023. Photo / AP
The Foreign Affairs Minister will spend two days in Brussels, she’ll then travel to nearby Sweden, where she will meet with Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström in Stockholm.
Mahuta said Sweden, the current president of the European Union, is one of New Zealand’s closest European partners.
The relationship’s strength is what enabled the two nations to lead the New Zealand-European Union Free Trade Agreement through successful negotiation.
During her Stockholm visit, Mahuta will also engage with Sámi representatives, including the president of the Swedish Sámi Parliament Plenary Assembly, Daniel Holst Vinka.
The Sámi are an indigenous people and an official Swedish minority nationality. At least 20,000 of the 80,000 estimated population of Sámi live in Sweden.
Mahuta has drawn a connecting line between the Sámi of Sweden and New Zealand’s Māori people, who she said share many interests and already work together on a number of challenges on the international stage.
“This is an opportunity to deepen these connections,” she said.
Mahuta will return to New Zealand on April 9 after seven days abroad.
