A serviceman from the 65th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukraine army. How ready would New Zealand forces be to keep the peace in Ukraine? Photo: AFP/ Dmytro Smolienko
Russia and the US have agreed to press ahead at speed with negotiations aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine during talks held overnight in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
It's the most significant shift since Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine - however Ukraine and its European allies were shut out of discussions.
Yesterday the Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he's open to deploying NZ Defence personnel to Ukraine as peacekeepers - a stance supported by the Labour leader.
But how ready and capable would the NZDF be to contribute to such a mission?
Josh Wineera is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Defence Force; a former defence attaché to the Pacific and served in NZs third contingent of peacekeepers to Bosnia in 1995.
He is a visiting fellow with the University of Canterbury's Pacific Regional Security Hub and a director of high-tech defence consultancy firm, Latent.
