NZ MPs invited by Ukrainian colleagues to visit Ukraine, but Speaker fears visit impractical

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon with the Ukrainian delegation. Photo / X

A delegation of Ukrainian MPs who are visiting Parliament this week have invited their New Zealand counterparts on a reciprocal visit to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, but such a visit seems unlikely in the short term.

Speaker Gerry Brownlee said that while he was keen to make the visit happen one day, it was currently impractical.

“They did invite us for a reciprocal visit and we would of course want to make that visit at some point, but we also discussed the fact that in their current situation, it’s not a practical opportunity for a parliamentary delegation,” Brownlee said.

There is also a standing invitation for the Prime Minister to visit Kyiv. Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukraine’s Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia and New Zealand, who is based in Canberra, told the Herald that the invitation was still “open”.

“President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy would be delighted to see him,” Myroshnychenko said.

“We hope the Prime Minister can visit Ukraine at a certain stage.

“It would be a way to demonstrate solidarity with Ukrainians because when we see people coming from so far away and they out there to come and support Ukraine it really is uplifting for the spirit of Ukrainians. After two years of fighting it has had a major toll on people,” he said.

Many foreign leaders including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have visited Kyiv to show solidarity with the Ukrainian government and people. New Zealand has not sent a prime minister, although Peeni Henare visited in 2022, while Defence Minister.

The delegation was the first visit of Ukrainian MPs to New Zealand since the war broke out in 2022. It was headed by Dr Galyna Mykhailiuk, Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament) and included MPs Iaroslav Zhelezniak, and Olga Koval. They were accompanied by Myroshnychenko.

The delegation met Ministers Winston Peters, Judith Collins, and David Seymour. They also met Labour leader Chris Hipkins.

Myroshnychenko told the Herald the delegation was also able to speak to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, whom they bumped into in the corridors of Parliament, where they thanked him for the most recent round of aid to Ukraine.

He said Ukraine is keen for New Zealand to participate in a Swiss-led peace summit in June.

“We want to create a system of how this war can end,” he said. Myroshnychenko said. He said Zelenskyy’s 10-point peace plan from 2022 would form the basis of any peace plan.

This would see the withdrawal of Russian troops, Ukraine’s territorial integrity restored and Russia reaffirming it according to the United Nation’s Charter, and a tribunal to prosecute alleged Russian war crimes.

Myroshnychenko said Ukraine had been asking for help with removing land mines from Ukrainian territory, particularly de-mining equipment and training.

He said there was a Czech Republic programme to source ammunition for Ukraine.

“And about 18 countries have contributed to that effort and New Zealand is welcome to do it as well,” he said.

Other areas of potential assistance include the sourcing of drones and cyber warfare capabilities.

Thomas Coughlan is Deputy Political Editor and covers politics from Parliament. He has worked for the Herald since 2021 and has worked in the press gallery since 2018.