Rt Hon Christopher Luxon
Prime Minister
Rt Hon Winston Peters
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Hon Judith Collins KC
Minister of Defence

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today announced New Zealand is extending its military assistance in support of Ukraine’s self-defence.

“New Zealand is unwavering in its support for Ukraine against Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion. That is why we are extending our deployment of up to 100 New Zealand Defence Force personnel to train Ukrainian soldiers in the UK and throughout Europe, and provide intelligence, liaison and logistics support through to December 2026,” Mr Luxon says.

“Today’s announcement signals New Zealand’s ongoing commitment to Ukraine in the face of Russia’s aggression, and brings the total value of New Zealand support to $152 million in financial assistance and in-kind support to Ukraine.”

“We are aware that the situation in Ukraine remains dynamic,” Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand welcomes efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace, and is following the negotiations on a potential ceasefire very closely. New Zealand is also actively involved in the UK-led discussions on options for peace support if the conflict concludes.”  

“During the past three years, NZDF personnel have been on the ground in Europe working with like-minded partner countries to support Ukraine. This deployment is a visible and highly valued use of our skilled personnel,” Defence Minister Judith Collins says.

“This is what our people train and sign up for. I have seen first hand the value of what they are providing to the people of Ukraine, and I am justifiably proud of New Zealand’s contribution.”

Note:

Alongside our partners, this operation has trained over 53,000 Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel so far.

From July 2024 NZDF support evolved to match the changing needs of Ukraine and its partners. Under the 2025/2026 mandate, personnel continue to conduct specialised training throughout Europe in combat casualty care, combat engineering, leadership and maritime explosive ordnance disposal training. 

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, New Zealand has pledged over $152 million in financial assistance and in-kind support to Ukraine, including:

• Support for military training, equipment, and material valued at $102.3 million, including NZDF personnel deployed to Europe. 
• $31.9 million in humanitarian assistance to conflict-affected Ukrainian communities in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries.  
• $5.2 million in support for international legal processes and human rights monitoring. 

Last year alone, the New Zealand Government announced two packages worth NZ$41.9 million as part of our ongoing support to Ukraine. The 2024 packages include:

• An extension and evolution of NZDF deployments, which have included delivering training for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the UK and across Europe, as well as intelligence, logistics, and liaison support.
• Additional sanctions through New Zealand’s first unilateral sections regime, the Russia Sanctions Act.
• New funding for military equipment and humanitarian aid.

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