By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-08-09 05:51:42 | Updated at 2026-08-09 06:12:49
22 minutes ago
WELLINGTON – New Zealand announced more sanctions targeting individuals and entities supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine, following the passage of a new Bill in the US Senate targeting the country’s oil and gas revenues.
The sanction package - New Zealand’s 36th round against Russia - targets 33 individuals and entities with a particular focus on cyber actors, as well as those involved in the forced relocation, abduction, and re-education of Ukrainian children, Winston Peters, foreign affairs minister, said in a statement on Aug 8, without elaborating on the measures.
“Children should never be used as instruments of war,” said Peters. “New Zealand remains deeply concerned by efforts to abduct and re-educate Ukrainian children through coercive state-directed programmes.”
The announcement by New Zealand follows a move overnight by the US Senate passing a sweeping new Bill authorising tariffs on China, India and other top buyers of the country’s oil and gas.
Since March 2022, New Zealand has imposed sanctions on over 2,000 individuals, entities, and vessels, alongside a range of trade measures, according to the release. Bloomberg
