Dr Will Jones: Britain Signs Deal to Deploy Troops to Ukraine

Britain has signed a deal to deploy boots on the ground in Ukraine as part of a proposed ceasefire deal backed for the first time by the United States. The Telegraph has more.

Clive Pinder:

History, we are told, is written by the victors. Yet in Ukraine, the story may end up being written by those clever enough to redefine what ‘victory’ looks like.

Two tribes have been shouting across Western commentary trenches since 2022. On one side sit the realists, like John Mearsheimer, shrugging that Russia was provoked and that Ukraine must accept the grim realpolitik of geography. On the other side perch the idealists, like Matthew Syed, wagging fingers that anything short of total victory is appeasement.

Bob Edlin: Politicians are chided for visiting Ukraine (Collins) and China (Clark and Key).....

Politicians are chided for visiting Ukraine (Collins) and China (Clark and Key) – but aren’t they free to choose where to go?

Three political big-wigs have drawn flak for their jet-setting.

Defence Minister Judith Collins has been denounced by Waikanae Watch for flying to Kyiv while former Prime Ministers Helen Clark and John Key have been criticised for flying to China.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Why aren't these leaders willing to properly help Zelenskyy?

So if anything, tonight's meeting at the White House is actually more important than Saturday's meeting was in Alaska - because this is the meeting with Zelenskyy.

This is the meeting where the guy who has been invaded has to spell out how much land he is prepared to give up to Putin. And that is a lot harder than what happened in Alaska, which was just Putin laying down his dream scenario.

Philip Crump: America's Rare Earth Renaissance

Six months into Trump's second term, rare earth minerals are at the centre of his Administration's approach to foreign policy.

As President Trump reshapes global alliances, rare earth minerals are at the centre of his Administration’s approach to foreign policy, challenging China’s stranglehold on the resources that power modern technology.

Point of Order: Much more than a minerals deal

Full credit to European politicians: they know how to brief.

Latest in London’s Daily Telegraph is that “Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have together pulled off a remarkable feat of high statecraft” in shaping the US – Ukraine minerals deal signed a few days ago. There are even some nice words for Boris Johnson’s contribution.

Who knows, it could even be true. But it’s perhaps more important that they’re thinking that way.

Robert G Patman: Peace in our time?....

Peace in our time? Why NZ should resist Trump’s one-sided plan for Ukraine

Is it possible to reconcile increased international support for Ukraine with Donald Trump’s plan to end the war? At their recent meeting in London, Christopher Luxon and his British counterpart Keir Starmer seemed to think so.

Bob Edlin: A headline we were pleasantly surprised to read…

SBS News today posted that headline on news that:

President Donald Trump has questioned whether President Vladimir Putin is “serious” about ending the war in Ukraine and hinted that Russia could soon face “secondary sanctions” from the United States if it doesn’t stop attacking civilian areas.

“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities, and towns over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war.

Bob Edlin: Trump spells out his disapproval in CAPS.....

Trump spells out his disapproval in CAPS – and the Kremlin will be jolted – but NZ leaders prefer not to mention Putin’s name

You can learn a lot from caps.

For example, the Trump organisation’s online store is peddling “Trump 2028” merchandise – caps, t-shirts and what-have-you.

Roger Partridge: The Wilful Blindness of Putin’s Apologists

Some see Ukraine’s fight as a defining battle for freedom. Others dismiss it as a reckless provocation. This divide is not just academic. It has profound consequences – and not just for Ukraine. My recent column in Quadrant, “A Feckless President’s Betrayal,” argues that US President Donald Trump’s approach to the war in Europe has betrayed Ukraine, its Western allies and America itself. The column sparked intense debate. Online comments from some readers echoed pro-Putin arguments advanced by American economist Jeffrey Sachs – and the Kremlin’s own talking points.

Dr Will Jones: Zelensky Says He is Ready to Seek Peace under Trump’s “Strong Leadership”

Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is ready to seek peace under Donald Trump’s “strong leadership” and he “regrets” his White House row – a day after the US President halted military aid to Ukraine. The Mail has more.

DTNZ: Switzerland drifting towards NATO – largest party

The nation’s neutrality is being jeopardized by its policies on the Ukraine conflict and cooperation with the bloc, the SVP has said.

A gradual drift towards NATO and indirect support of Ukraine are threats to Switzerland’s neutrality and security, the conservative Swiss People’s Party (SVP) has warned, urging Defense Minister Viola Amherd to resign.

Centrist: Robert Patman - New Zealand must seek strategic independence in an unstable world

Robert Patman, International Relations expert at the University of Otago, warns that New Zealand must adopt strategic independence to navigate the challenges of 2025.

With a global order marked by declining US influence, rising geopolitical tensions, and transboundary crises, Patman argues that New Zealand must bolster defence spending, deepen ties with Australia, and pursue independent policies on AUKUS, Ukraine, Gaza, and climate change.

Dave Patterson: North Korea Joins Russia Against Ukraine – A Growing Global Conflict

There is an expanding alliance of enemies moving on Ukraine, and the US is in denial.

It appears North Korea is itching for a fight, any fight. For some time, we’ve heard numerous reports on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) providing artillery ammunition and other assistance to Russia to support Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Now, we are learning that Pyongyang is preparing ground troops to join Russia in the war against its neighbor to the West.

David Farrar: Kiwiblog in Ukraine

I’m in Ukraine for a few days, attending the Black Sea Security Forum. For reasons of operational security I can’t blog any details of the Forum until it has concluded, but I can blog about why I am here, and my impressions to date.

I’m here because I think what happens in Ukraine matters. It is not a complicated conflict. Ukraine wants to remain a democratic country where its 40 million people determine their own future. Russia wishes to conquer it and turn it into a puppet state, or even use it as the start of reforming the former Soviet Union. It’s probably the most morally unambiguous conflict since World War II.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 12/6/24

News of visit by Chinese Premier is belatedly posted on Beehive website – now we await official post of banking inquiry

Let the record show that the PM’s news about China’s Premier visiting New Zealand this week was posted on the government’s website yesterday, after Point of Order had published its June 11 Buzz report.

David Farrar: Evil vs Evil

The attack by islamic state terrorist in Moscow was an act of evil. 133 innocent people died. Islamic State is an evil organisation.

The response of the Putin Government was also evil, albeit in a lesser way.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 22/2/24

Willis tells us before dawn about her travel plans and – early this afternoon – she reports on her meeting with Aust Treasurer

Finance Minister Nicola Willis – and press secretary Nick Venter, too, we may suppose – were up and about before sparrow’s fart.

Her bags would have been packed and her passport checked.

Alexander Gillespie: Foreign policy has been missing from NZ’s election campaign

Tax cuts, crime, the cost of living, potholes and co-governance … these and various other issues are now familiar to most voters. But there has been one major election area missing the serious debate it needs: foreign policy.

Whichever parties form the next government, and whoever becomes prime minister, they will also be charged with negotiating New Zealand’s place in a dynamic and changing world.

Adrian Beaumont: Foreign policy has been missing from NZ’s election campaign

Tax cuts, crime, the cost of living, potholes and co-governance … these and various other issues are now familiar to most voters. But there has been one major election area missing the serious debate it needs: foreign policy.

Whichever parties form the next government, and whoever becomes prime minister, they will also be charged with negotiating New Zealand’s place in a dynamic and changing world.