Govt steps back from Russia free trade deal

The Government will no longer resume free-trade talks with Russia in light of the chemical attack in the UK against former spy Sergei Skripal, believed to be carried out by Russia.

In interviews expected to be aired this weekend, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the attack on British soil using a Russian-made nerve agent had changed the prospect of free-trade talks with the nation.

The Labour-NZ First coalition agreement included a promise to restart free-trade talks, but that will now be suspended after the attack on Skripal and his daughter.

New Zealand had almost completed a free-trade deal with Russia in 2014, but it was frozen following the Russian annexation of Crimea.

The chemical attack has sparked international outrage; British Prime Minister Theresa May has blamed the attack on Russia and announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats from the UK.

The Kremlin, which denies responsibility for the attack, responded by saying it would expel British diplomats from Moscow.

Ardern yesterday denied that New Zealand had been soft on Russia over the attack.

“We have labelled this action as repugnant. It is a complete breach of international law. We’ve already used our voice in The Hague to reiterate that. Of course, we stand firmly against it.”

Earlier this week Ardern reemphasised that a free trade deal with the European Union was New Zealand’s top priority, after an interview with Foreign Minister Winston Peters in which he talked favourably about Russia.

Peters had said on The Nation that there was “no evidence” Russia had a hand in shooting down flight MH17 over the Ukraine or that it had meddled in the US election.

He added that New Zealand traded with countries that had, for example, human rights or gender equality issues.

National Party foreign affairs spokesman Todd McClay said Peters was “fast earning himself an international reputation as an apologist for Russia”.

Last night Ardern issued a strongly worded statement saying New Zealand supports the position of the leaders of the UK, US, Germany and France on the nerve-agent attack in Salisbury.