UK and New Zealand to pursue stronger defence ties and boost support for Ukraine

Sir Keir Starmer will aim to strengthen the UK’s defence ties with New Zealand as he hosts the country’s prime minister on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister and his counterpart, Christopher Luxon, are expected to visit a military base to see British and New Zealand personnel train Ukrainian troops as part of the UK’s Operation Interflex.

More than 54,000 Ukrainians have already received training under Operation Interflex, and Mr Luxon is expected to confirm on Tuesday that New Zealand will extend its support for the programme to the end of the year.

In a further show of support for Ukraine, Sir Keir is expected to announce a deal worth £30 million for drones produced by SYOS Aerospace, a New Zealand company with a factory in Hampshire.

Drones have become increasingly important over the course of the war in Ukraine, and now account for more battlefield casualties than artillery.

The pair will also instruct their respective defence ministers to begin work on a new defence partnership between the UK and New Zealand, replacing the one signed in 2015.

The UK and New Zealand already have long-standing defence links, with both nations belonging to the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network and the Royal New Zealand Navy providing a frigate, HMNZS Te Kaha, for the UK carrier strike group due to set sail for the Indian Ocean from Portsmouth on Tuesday.

Sir Keir said: “From the beaches of Gallipoli to the vital work we have been doing together on Operation Interflex and our support for Ukraine, the UK and New Zealand have stood shoulder to shoulder for generations in pursuit of peace and stability.

“As the world becomes an increasingly dangerous place, I am proud how much we are doing together to support our national and economic security – stepping up our defence spending, deploying our navies together in the Indo-Pacific, and continuing our work to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position to deter an increasingly aggressive Russia.”

Later on Tuesday, Sir Keir is expected to welcome Mr Luxon to Downing Street for talks on trade and economic ties between their two countries.