- Watch full interview below
Watch for Chris Hipkins taking a greater stand with Ukraine against Russia, Professor Robert Patman predicts.
For New Zealand, a lot rides on Russia successfully being forced out of Ukraine, the University of Otago foreign affairs specialist says.
‘‘I do think the liberation of Ukraine, the ejection of Russian troops from Ukraine, is a core foreign policy concern for us,’’ Prof Patman said on Global Insight.
‘‘It may be that with a no-nonsense leader like Chris Hipkins... he may decide New Zealand can do a little bit more.’’
It is one year since Russian troops invaded Ukraine in what Russian President Vladimir Putin called a ‘‘special military operation’’.
The ongoing conflict between NATO-backed Ukraine and Russia is the greatest use of force in Europe since World War 2.
Watch full interview:
Prof Patman said New Zealand had a ‘‘huge stake in Mr Putin failing’’ in Ukraine.
‘‘Because if he succeeds, small countries like New Zealand, their position in the world will be directly threatened by the message ‘might is right’.’’
In his Global Insight interview, Prof Patman also outlined how New Zealand’s stance on the invasion had evolved during the past 12 months, he addressed claims Russia’s invasion was provoked by NATO and defended his call for Russia to be pushed back to its internationally recognised borders.
