On 8 July 2026, on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in the Republic of Türkiye, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with New Zealand Minister of Defence Chris Penk.

During the meeting, the sides noted New Zealand’s support for Ukraine, including the important contribution of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) to the training of Ukrainian service members.

Ukraine highly values New Zealand’s consistent support and its practical contribution to strengthening Ukraine’s defence capabilities.