The New Zealand government announced a new aid package for Ukraine worth 8 million New Zealand dollars and the introduction of additional sanctions against Russia’s military machinery.
Source: PRYAMYI
Foreign Minister Winston Peters emphasized that Russia’s winter bombings of civilian infrastructure caused significant harm to Ukrainians, and the new aid demonstrates Wellington’s solidarity with Ukraine.
Of the 8 million dollars, 5 million will be directed to humanitarian assistance through international partners supporting Ukraine’s civilian population. New Zealand’s total humanitarian support over four years of the war has reached 45 million dollars. Another 3 million dollars will go to the Ukraine Aid, Recovery, and Reform Trust Fund under the World Bank to support energy resilience and reconstruction.
In addition to financial support, the New Zealand government introduced the 34th sanctions package against Russia, including restrictions on 100 vessels of the “shadow fleet” and lowering the price cap on Russian crude oil. The sanctions also target entities from Belarus, Iran, and North Korea, cyber companies, and those supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex.
According to Peters, these measures aim to reduce the revenues that fund Putin’s war against Ukraine.