Ukraine's ambassador to New Zealand, Vasyl Myroshnychenko. Photo: Phil Pennington / RNZ
Ukraine's ambassador to New Zealand has called on China to use its leverage with Russia to help stop the war.
Vasyl Myroshnychenko, speaking at a conference on international affairs in Wellington on Tuesday, said Russia was making a "mockery" of peace talks.
He said China was a key trade partner for Ukraine and key to the conflict.
"We hope China will use the leverage they have over Russia to force Russia to stop this war," he told the NZIIA conference.
"Because they have a leverage. They must use that leverage.
"We believe the Chinese government will have an opportunity to help us rebuild Ukraine but for now they need to use their leverage to force Russia to stop."
Vasyl Myroshnychenko (right), Ukraine's ambassador to New Zealand, speaking at the Institute of International Affairs in Wellington on 17 June 2025. Photo: RNZ / Phil Pennington
The outcome of the war was vital for the whole world and democratic countries had to do more. Options include freezing $300b in Russian assets offshore and using that to pay for weapons for Ukraine, Myroshnychenko said.
He also floated putting a cap on the price of oil so Moscow could not fund the war.
Measures such as these were the "only way to punish" Russia, he said, a nation which not seriously negotiating in peace talks.
"It's just a mockery. Russia are just making fun of this whole thing."
In the West and developing countries, disinformation was taking a toll - "the Russian narrative" about the war "is dominant in the global south", he said. It is even influencing anti-vaxxers within New Zealand.
He noted that disinformation and misinformation campaigns are very difficult to combat.
"You can undermine any democracy."
New Zealand was in a region where Russia had major firepower and nuclear capability, he said, noting how Russia had made headway with Indonesia, conducting a joint naval exercise with Jakarta last year.
The ambassador said it was "getting tough" but "we'll keep on fighting no matter what", and the most important contribution was to get more weapons.
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