The Green Party is calling on the Prime Minister to rule out joining the AUKUS military pact in any capacity following the scenes in the White House over the weekend.

“President Trump’s appalling treatment of his Ukrainian counterpart is a clear warning that we must avoid AUKUS at all costs,” says the Green Party’s Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Teanau Tuiono.

“Aotearoa must stand on an independent and principled approach to foreign affairs and use that as a platform to promote peace.

“What we saw in the White House at the weekend laid bare the volatility and danger of the Trump leadership - nothing good can come from deepening our links to this administration.

“Christopher Luxon should read the room and rule out joining any part of the AUKUS framework.

“We believe Aotearoa New Zealand should steer clear of AUKUS regardless of who is in the White House, but Trump's transactional and hyper-aggressive foreign policy makes the case to stay out stronger than ever.

“Our country must not join a campaign that is escalating tensions in the Pacific and talking up the prospects of a war which the people of our region firmly oppose.

“Advocating for, and working towards, peaceful solutions to the world’s conflicts must be an absolute priority for our country,” says Teanau Tuiono.

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