How Is New Zealand Responding To Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine?

Friday, 4 March 2022, 4:15 pm
Article: Kalkine

Summary

• Several countries have extended their support to Ukraine through humanitarian aid, including New Zealand.
• New Zealand announced travel bans and restrictions on exports to the Russian military as a retaliatory measure.
• The domestic country is also looking at new measures to target Russian investment.

The escalation of political tensions between Russia and Ukraine has taken a devastating turn, urging swift action from world leaders. Many countries have extended their support to Ukraine through military aid while standing in solidarity with the country and its people.

New Zealand has also pledged its support to Ukraine under its existing relationship with NATO. However, as the scenario deteriorates, many wonder if the current policy actions by countries will comfort the war-stricken nation.

While it is hard for countries to control the ongoing turn of events in Russia and Ukraine, a commonly resorted option is the implication of sanctions on Russia. Relatively harmless measures of retaliation often bring out the desired response from a country.

However, New Zealand is bound by existing laws to only introduce lower-level retaliation measures that cannot be deemed as sanctions. While most other nations have opted for the sanctions route, New Zealand does not have a sanctions mechanism to allow such a response towards Russia.

Despite some limitations, New Zealand is trying to the best of its ability to support Ukraine.

Immediate action against Russia

Some of the first retaliation measures announced by the domestic country included travel bans on Russian officials, restrictions on exports to the Russian military and suspension of bilateral Foreign Ministry consultations. By implementing these measures, New Zealand is joining the bigger movement involving major NATO nations that condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

New Zealand has time and again warned about the severity and prejudice with which Russia has acted upon Ukraine. Additionally, New Zealand has highlighted that the aftermath of this war could be a large humanitarian and refugee crisis. Thus, the nation is taking all possible steps to prevent Russia’s destructive move.

Officials from New Zealand tried to verbally resolve Russia’s concerns through a discussion and wanted to take a diplomatic route out of this situation. However, since the country is yet to receive a reply from Russian authorities, little can be said about the viability of verbal discussions during such strenuous times.

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New Zealand’s response matters

The ties between the domestic country and the United States weakened after New Zealand’s fourth Labour government adopted a nuclear-free policy. Despite disagreeing on the issue of nuclear usage, both countries have restored their diplomatic ties. New Zealand’s largely accepting international relations policies have helped the nation maintain good associations with other countries.

With New Zealand now taking a stance in-line with NATO, it seems the country is, for once, leaving its neutral positions and picking one side. Being a nation that cannot implement sanctions, New Zealand has largely been able to avoid the responsibility of siding with any single. However, as Russia’s actions escalate, New Zealand may have to leave its diplomatic stance and retaliate more aggressively than planned.

To be tough in its retaliation movement, New Zealand will need an autonomous sanctions regime that will allow it to impose sanctions on other nations. This would mean an end to the independent foreign policy strategy adopted by New Zealand up until now.

What measures are needed from New Zealand?

It is safe to assume that trade and travel-related policies might not do much harm to Russia, given the relative size of New Zealand against Russia. Going by its current strategy to verbally dissipate Russia’s concerns, New Zealand may have a chance to go beyond its limitations and bring forth some change.

Often some of the biggest conflicts have sought a resolve through verbal confrontation. Negotiations at higher levels can give rise to solutions that may never arise out of a war. Thus, New Zealand now has two major options. The first is to either follow the retaliation measures of the West and implement a sanctions policy, and the second, to look for a verbal way out.

Amid these concerns, New Zealand is also looking at new measures to target Russian investment. The country is looking at ways through which Russian financial institutions in the domestic country can be affected.

All in all, the pressing turn of events has put New Zealand in the spotlight, where the country is forced to take a definitive stance against Russia. However, continued efforts from world leaders could bring forth a drastic change in the ongoing conflict, saving thousands of innocent lives. While the viability of the sanctions remains largely unknown, they appear the only gateway to avoid a world war.

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