Sanctions best bet for Russia — Ardern

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has distanced herself from the idea New Zealand was inching towards expelling Russian ambassador Georgii Zuev.

Ardern said the option of expelling Zuev was always on the table, but it was not being actively considered despite President Vladimir Putin’s decision to call up 300,000 additional troops and make veiled threats of nuclear war.

“Amongst all of the options for our strong response to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine we’ve always had a range of options on the table, expelling the Russian ambassador has always been one of those options.

“We, like most of our likeminded partners, have not exercised that option because that is one of the least meaningful in this situation.”

Expelling Russia’s ambassador would likely lead to the expulsion of New Zealand’s ambassador to Russia, meaning any New Zealanders in Russia could struggle to get help. It would also cut off a channel for diplomacy.

Ardern said “sanctions send the strongest message” and pushed back on the idea that Russia was not feeling the diplomatic reprisals of the invasion.

The remarks were in response to comments from Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta being interpreted as New Zealand inching towards expelling the ambassador.

Ukraine continues to dominate high-level week at the United Nations in New York, where leaders from more than 150 countries have gathered.

At a meeting of the powerful Security Council yesterday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken came face-to-face with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.

Lavrov called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a “bastard”, and appeared to slight the council by arriving 90 minutes late to the meeting and leaving early.

Blinken slammed Putin for his veiled nuclear threat and called on him to end the war.

Ardern had her most highprofile meetings of her trip to the United Nations on Thursday, meeting with UN Secretary-General Anto´nio Guterres and attending a reception with President Joe Biden.

Ardern said their conversation was also related to Ukraine, and the perspective of “our part of the region on that conflict”.

Ardern had “a very brief” exchange with Biden at his reception. She said it acknowledged the “relationship that New Zealand and the United States have”.