Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick says National and ACT talked tough about expelling the Russian Ambassador from New Zealand prior to the election, but don't appear to have "the nous to follow through" now they are in Government.
Both National and ACT have called for Russian Ambassador Georgii Zuev to be kicked out of New Zealand since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. But despite both parties now being in Government, Zuev remains in the country.
Explaining his position on AM on Monday morning, ACT leader David Seymour – who is now a senior Cabinet minister in the new Government – said while he had previously said Zuev should be expelled, he would defer to Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters.
"He'll be taking the lead on that because he has to get advice and weigh up, for example, if New Zealand's Government was to expel the Russian Ambassador, would the Russians retaliate by expelling New Zealand's Ambassador, and would it be worse to have no channel at all?" Seymour said.
"On the other hand, you know, Russia's Ambassador is not being engaging, he's refused to meet and engage with the New Zealand Government. He's made public criticisms of New Zealand politicians, which is a big no, no for diplomats. It's not entirely obvious what value he's adding by still being here."
He said the Foreign Affairs Minister and Prime Minister would weigh up the pros and cons.
But Swarbrick said that parties should take into consideration those different arguments for and against expelling the Ambassador before making their positions clear in Opposition.
"It seems to me on face value to be a matter of saying one thing in Opposition, all that tough talk, but not really having the nous to follow through," she said.
"These are considerations that political parties should have brought to the table prior to making those statements publicly."
Swarbrick said the Greens agreed the Russian Ambassador should be expelled due to the "continuing and escalating aggression in Ukraine".
The argument that kicking out the Russian Ambassador would lead to retaliation from Moscow was one employed by the previous Government when it refused to expel Zuev.
In March last year, ACT's Brooke van Velden asked then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern whether her Government would expel the Ambassador.
Ardern replied saying that while that option hadn't been taken off the table, it would be a "significant step" and "we have to factor in our ability to continue to look after New Zealanders in the region too".
In a press release last September, van Velden dismissed that argument.
"Keeping him here hasn't worked though. Vladimir Putin's threats pose a risk to New Zealanders everywhere and we should not continue any sort of diplomacy with representatives of his administration."
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has also been non-committal about expelling Zuev despite as recently as September calling it National Party policy.
Last week he too deferred to Peters. The Foreign Affairs Minister told Newshub on Wednesday that he hadn't yet had any discussions about it.
Earlier this year, the Russian Embassy told Newshub the "final decision and sovereign right to expel the Ambassador (and to enjoy reciprocal measures) is with Wellington".
Newshub revealed last December despite keeping the Ambassador in New Zealand to keep diplomatic channels open, then-Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta hadn't met with him at all since the war broke out. There had only been meetings between Zuev and officials.
The National Party's foreign affairs spokesperson at the time, Gerry Brownlee, said the minister should have been in contact with Zuev if he was still in the country and it was an "extremely odd position" to suggest only diplomats should be meeting with him.
"It does beg the question about why the Russian Ambassador is still here. If we've cut off diplomatic relations, send the guy home, do something that at least tells him directly we don't approve of the way they're behaving."
