Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says he's come away from talks with top US officials more confident about New Zealand's relationship with America.
Peters sat down with his US counterpart Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington DC on Wednesday, a meeting that ran overtime.
"We enjoyed a substantive and productive discussion with the Secretary across a broad range of issues. There's a lot happening in the Indo-Pacific and indeed our world.
"It's a seriously valuable time to be here in Washington DC and we're talking to someone today who's had a long career in foreign policy. It was very helpful to reconnect with him and his insights into what's going on."
Peters said the pair discussed their countries' "long" relationship and the future circumstances of trade and security.
On potential tariffs, Peters said he shared significant information with Rubio.
"For example, since 1870 we've been asking about a trade agreement and I pointed out to him how patient we were.
"On the matter of tariffs, we had set the standards four decades ago and other countries were catching up in terms of fairness. He understood that so we came away much more confident than when we originally came here."
Peters confirmed Rubio gave him a "read out" of President Trump's phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin about a partial 30-day ceasefire of attacks on energy and infrastructure gargest in Ukraine.
On America's priorities for the Pacific region, Peters said it came down to security and trade.
"He's very much aware of the fact that we have a long standing relationship with China, that we value our relationship with China when it comes to trade but at the end of the day we're talking about not just China but the Blue Continent, the Pacific, in which we are a key player, and he recognises that."
Peters did not divulge how these priorities would be realised but said the pair made "serious arrangements" to keep dialogue going in a meaningful way.
He was critical of local commentary about recent moves made by the second Trump administration.
"There's been a lot of alarm comment by too many people about what it all means. We have advocated from day one let the dust settle, let's find out what it all means. Caution is the name of the game here and I'm pleased we've taken that position. We walk into the room having said nothing stupid."
New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters meets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington DC on 19 March 2025. Photo: Supplied
On the latest strikes in Gaza, Peters said it was too soon to comment.
"The New Zealand government will have a position on it but the first thing we've got to do is find out what it all means before we rush to make comment."
International relations expert Robert Patman told RNZ Peters had a "difficult task," because "he can't shirk from defending New Zealand's interests, and at the moment, the Trump administration is challenging our national interests on the international stage."
He said a peace deal favouring Russian leader Vladimir Putin would set a disastrous precedent that would be "unacceptable" to New Zealand - and that Peters should also be urging the United States not to follow Trump's suggestion of annexing Gaza, which would amount to "ethnic cleansing".
The opportunity for China to fill the void left in aid funding for the Pacific, and Trump administration moves to pull out of the Paris climate agreement, would be of particular concern for Pacific nations, he said. US foreign policy in Europe was yet more cause for concern for New Zealand.
Peters also has meetings with Democrat and Republican representatives.
On Tuesday NZT he met with senior Trump administration officials, including Morgan Ortagus, the deputy special envoy for the Middle East, and assistant to Steve Witkoff who is leading the administration's Middle East strategy and met with Putin to discuss a potential ceasefire.
Winston Peters at the NZ Ambassador's residence in Washington DC with senior Trump administration officials Sebastian Gorka (deputy assistant to the President, senior director for Counterterrorism), and Morgan Ortagus (Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East). Photo: RNZ / Lillian Hanly
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