Description: UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to meet his New Zealand counterpart, Christopher Luxon on Tuesday, as the leaders are set to broaden defense and security ties between the countries. Starmer and Luxon are set to discuss UK’s continued involvement in the Indo – Pacific, with both countries conducting joint naval drills and defense cooperation operations. The discussions would also underline the continued support for Ukraine from both countries in the midst of intensified Russian ground advances and stalled out US – led peace talks. Ministers from both countries were reportedly working on a new joint defensive partnership which would outline a larger scope of cooperation.
Impact: The UK is presently experiencing considerable fluctuations in their domestic and foreign state of affairs. The country is part of the coalition of the willing, spearheaded by France which aims at unequivocally support Ukraine’s war efforts, while being stranded by US tariffs and consistently being targeted by Russian hybrid threats. The joint defensive agreement with New Zealand could be considered as the UK’s attempt to strengthen its global posturing and diversify Ukraine’s support portfolio. New Zealand is facing mounting threats from China, as the tensions in the Indo – Pacific are at an all time high. UK’s support in the region would bolster the country’s defensive capabilities and reaffirm New Zealand’s geostrategic aspirations going forward.