New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during a March news conference in Wellington. Photo: Mark Coote/Bloomberg via Getty Images
New Zealand will send 50 troops, eight logistics specialists and a C-130 Hercules aircraft to Europe as part of efforts to assist Ukraine with weapons and aid, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday.
The big picture: The country of 5 million will also donate NZ$13 million (US$9 million) in further support, "including a contribution via the United Kingdom to procure weapons and ammunition," per a statement from Ardern.
- The personnel will be sent to Germany on Wednesday for two months to help with logistics, assisting partner nations and "carrying much-needed equipment and supplies to key distribution centres," according to Ardern.
- It follows the deployment of nine NZ intelligence personnel, who are already in Europe.
What she's saying: "Our support is to assist the Ukraine Army to repel a brutal Russian invasion because peace in the region of Europe is essential for global stability," the Labour leader said.
- "Such a blatant attack on a country’s sovereignty is a threat to all of us and that’s why we too have a role to play," she added.
- Ardern stressed that "at no point will they enter Ukraine, and nor have they been asked to."
Go deeper... Dashboard: Russian invasion of Ukraine