Relationship dossier
New Zealand
Russia
Relationship assessment
Relations strained by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and reciprocal sanctions
New Zealand toward Russia
-45New Zealand condemned Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and imposed sanctions, export controls, and higher tariffs on Russian imports. These measures represent sustained government opposition to Russia's conduct in Ukraine.
Russia toward New Zealand
-40Russia imposed sanctions on New Zealand officials in response to New Zealand's measures against Russia. This retaliatory action has contributed to the deterioration of bilateral relations.
Overall relationship
-40The relationship is defined chiefly by the confrontation following Russia's invasion of Ukraine: New Zealand imposed sanctions and trade restrictions, and Russia retaliated with sanctions against New Zealand officials. This is a major strain on the bilateral relationship; the extent of other enduring cooperation is unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
New Zealand-Russia relations have become substantially adversarial since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. New Zealand condemned the invasion and imposed sanctions and trade measures on Russia; Russia responded with sanctions against New Zealand officials. These actions have sharply strained bilateral relations, though the breadth of other bilateral engagement and the longer-term trajectory are less clear.
Areas of tension
- Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and New Zealand's condemnation of it
- New Zealand sanctions and trade restrictions on Russia
- Russian retaliatory sanctions against New Zealand officials
Key developments
New Zealand imposed sanctions and trade measures on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
Russia imposed sanctions on New Zealand officials in response to New Zealand's measures.
Major uncertainties
- The scope of bilateral engagement outside the dispute over Ukraine is unclear.
- The longer-term implementation and effects of sanctions and trade restrictions are uncertain.