Vasyl Myroshnychenko was in Dunedin yesterday as part of a round trip throughout the country over the next week.
He said since Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in February, 2022, New Zealand had provided more than $130 million in military aid and assistance.
"People feel that you’re so far away, but at the same time, you care about democracy, you care about human rights, you care about rules-based international system, which Russians have so blatantly breached.
"Hence, you are out there supporting the underdog, because at the end of the day, we are fighting for all of us."
The full-scale invasion has caused thousands of military casualties and tens of thousands of Ukrainian casualties.
Mr Myroshnychenko said the ultimate endpoint should be "a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine", but there would be "much work to do" in the cleanup and reconstruction once the conflict ended.
"Even dealing with some implications and consequences for the environment, for instance, because Russia’s war has really done much damage to our environment.
"We’ll need to get rid of the mines — we’ll need to clear it up — we’ll need to get rid of all the toxic elements in soil and water."
He was also determined to see Russia "held accountable for the war crimes, for the crimes against humanity, for everything they’ve done".
Before becoming ambassador, Mr Myroshnychenko co-founded the Ukraine Crisis Media Center.
"The idea behind this was we wanted to help Ukraine communicate better, amplify Ukraine’s voice internationally, but also to counteract Russian propaganda."
Mr Myroshnychenko said he had always been impressed by the warmth of New Zealand people.
This was his seventh visit to the country since he became ambassador in March 2022.
"The support is coming where it’s supposed to and it’s making a difference on the ground."
