New Zealand pm warns against framing Ukraine war

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New Zealand pm warns against framing Ukraine war

New Zealand's prime minister has warned the West not to cast Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a broader battle between autocracy and democracy, saying it could undermine efforts to get China to help ramp up pressure on Moscow.

New Zealand has repeatedly condemned Russia's invasion and joined several other Western nations in which it has placed sweeping sanctions on Russian institutions and key members of Vladimir Putin's regime.

The Biden administration has slammed China for lending Russia tacit support and refusing to condemn the invasion.

US President Joe Biden has framed the war in Ukraine as a battle between autocratic regimes and democratic states.

Jacinda Ardern told the Lowy Institute that Russia's invasion was a morally bankrupt and illegal war that needed a strong international response.

She cautioned against framing the battle in stark ideological terms, saying it was important to bring together a broad international coalition of countries — including China — to push back against Russia.

She said that China, as a member of the UN Security Council, does not have a role in pressure on Russia in response to the loss of territorial integrity at the hands of Russia.

If we talk about the conflict in this very black- and white way, we assume that they don't have that role to play. Jacinda Ardern said that while some countries who had given Russia direct support — such as Belarus — should also bear consequences, it would be wrong to characterise this as a war between the West and Russia. Diplomacy must become the strongest tool,'' Ardern says.

The Prime Minister of New Zealand said it would be a mistake to assume that Russia's invasion would cause tensions in Asia.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese drew a loose parallel between Russia's invasion of Ukraine and cross-strait tensions between China and Taiwan, saying Vladimir Putin's failed bid to take Ukraine showed a willingness to impose change by force on a sovereign nation. US lawmakers have openly declared that China might try to seize Taiwan after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

She said that diplomacy must become the strongest tool and de-escalation must be the loudest call in the wake of the tensions in Europe and in Asia, and should not be equated with any comparisons between the situation in Europe and Asia.

We won't succeed if the parties we seek to engage with are increasingly isolated and the region we inhabit becomes more divided and polarised.

We must not allow the risk of a self-fulfilling prophecy to become an inevitable outcome for our region.