Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Foreign Minister Winston Peters says Russian ambassador Georgii Zuev will not be expelled, despite previous calls from coalition partners National and ACT Party for that to happen.
In an interview with AAP, Peters said expelling the ambassador would be a knee-jerk reaction that was not diplomacy and not a good idea. He also foreshadowed fresh support for Ukraine as it continues to fight off Russia's invasion.
Heading into the debating chamber for the year's final Question Time on Thursday, Peters said the reason the ambassador would not be expelled was to continue dialogue with the Russian government.
"Because it's better that we talk to people, whatever the circumstances are, to ensure going forward we can perhaps even be persuasive in terms of our arguments," Peters said.
"Expelling an ambassador does not have the effect that we're talking about ... as Winston Churchill said, better jaw, jaw, jaw than war, war, war."
That could be news to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who was not at Parliament on Thursday but earlier signalled an announcement on that next year, saying it would be Peters' decision to make based on advice.
"That's a conversation that's going on with foreign affairs and I'll leave that with Minister Winston Peters to make that decision," he said. "I'll let him make that decision, he's taken some advice on that and I'll be clear on that in the new year."
Luxon had called for the ambassador to be expelled since March 2022 - just weeks after Russia's invasion of Ukraine began - and repeated that as recently as September that year.
Having been elected to government however, Luxon early this month put the expulsion on hold, saying the situation had changed - though he acknowledged the party had maintained its position on the expulsion.
The ACT Party had also repeatedly called for Zuev to be expelled, but leader David Seymour on Thursday also deferred to Peters.
"Look, in my view the Russian ambassador has been very unhelpful, has actually dabbled in domestic politics which ambassadors shouldn't do. However, whether or not he stays is up to the minister of foreign affairs and I support the decision he's made.
ACT leader David Seymour Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
He denied that Peters had overruled him.
"Well, no he hasn't because it's actually not a decision that I make. Each party came into the government with policies, many of them are being implemented, some of them aren't."
Labour's Chris Hipkins had the same view on the expulsion as Peters, but suggested it was a backdown from Luxon and Seymour.
"So, I don't support expelling the Russian ambassador, but then I never called for that. Christopher Luxon did and I believe that David Seymour did as well.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
"I've always believed that dialogue is actually the way forward when it comes to these matters internationally, I think having a Russian ambassador in New Zealand means that there is a venue for dialogue, there is a pathway for us to make our views clear to Russia.
Asked if National had been misguided to campaign on expelling the ambassador, Peters said that was "yesterday's story".
"We've had a coalition agreement. Move on, guys. Some people lost, some people won, it's called a compromise - but we're going to have a sound, stable government in place."
