Dear John,

Visits to Ukraine, Poland and United Kingdom=C2=A0
=C2=A0
Last week, I was privileged to visit Ukraine and saddened to see first-hand=
the terrible human cost of the ongoing war.

Russia's illegal invasion has brought misery and destruction to the Ukraini=
an people for three and a half long years and our support for Ukraine remai=
ns steadfast. Everyday families=E2=80=99 lives are disrupted by the possibi=
lity of physical injury or worse, destruction of homes and destruction of w=
orkplaces and schools. For me as an observer this was heartbreaking.

I had formal talks with my Ukrainian counterpart, Defence Minister Denys Sh=
myhal, and I met Foreign Minister Andrii Sabiha and the Office of the Presi=
dent and Deputy Minister of Defence Oleksandr Kozenko. They were grateful f=
or our visit and our ongoing support from the other side of the world, incl=
uding over $NZ168 million in financial assistance, humanitarian aid and in-=
kind support from up to 100 New Zealand Defence force personnel.

I was given the opportunity to pay our respects at the Wall of Remembrance =
in Mykhailivska Square and I visited the site of a residential apartment bu=
ilding hit by a Russian ballistic missile on 17 June, which tragically kill=
ed 23 civilians.
=C2=A0
My visit, accompanied by Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Tony Davies, wa=
s a tangible reminder of both New Zealand's strong support for Ukraine and =
our strong support for the international rules-based order.
=C2=A0
We also visited Warsaw, Poland and met Deputy Foreign Minister W=C5=82adys=
=C5=82aw Teofil Bartoszewski and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Nati=
onal Defence W=C5=82adys=C5=82aw Kosiniak-Kamysz and we laid a wreath at th=
e Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.=C2=A0

Poland remains one of our most trusted partners in Central and Eastern Euro=
pe due to shared values and strategic interests that underpin our close rel=
ationship.=C2=A0

Poland has a critical role as both the key logistical hub for support to Uk=
raine and the anchor of NATO=E2=80=99s eastern flank.=C2=A0

My trip concluded with a visit to the United Kingdom where UK Secretary of =
State for Defence John Healey and I signed the 2025 Joint Statement on Defe=
nce Cooperation between the UK and New Zealand in London.

We updated this statement on defence co-operation as it has been 10 years s=
ince we last articulated our defence relationship with the United Kingdom, =
and the world has changed significantly in that time.

As well as the war in Ukraine, increasing strategic competition in the Indo=
-Pacific and attacks on commercial shipping in the Middle East are among th=
e issues affecting both of our regions, and it is vital that we stand firm =
in the face of current and future threats.

The international rules-based order that both countries rely on for economi=
c prosperity is under increasing threat and so increasing our defence force=
s=E2=80=99 interoperability will support collective security.

Our countries=E2=80=99 militaries already train, deploy and operate side by=
side. Just recently our Navy frigate joined the UK-led Operation Highmast =
in the Indo-Pacific. Our Army personnel have been working with our UK count=
erparts to train Ukrainian recruits, and our Navy personnel have worked clo=
sely with the Royal Navy in the Pacific region, specifically, the deploymen=
t of Navy personnel on the HMS TAMAR over the past year.

Secretary Healey and I agreed to enhance that work and to explore new areas=
of opportunity for closer cooperation, including innovation, defence indus=
trial supply chains and utilising common equipment.

I am focussed on keeping New Zealand=E2=80=99s profile in defence visible a=
nd relevant with our overseas friends as it also enhances our reputation wi=
th them in all our foreign dealings and interactions.

All the best to you and your families,=C2=A0

=C2=A0
Judith

Hon Judith Collins KC
MP for Papakura

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=C2=A9 2025 | All rights reserved.

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