Britain and New Zealand to step up military ties as leaders meet

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — Operators from the United Kingdom Special Forces are seen during exercise Night Hawk 21, Oct. 6, 2021. (NATO photo via Flickr)

LONDON (Reuters) -     Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon are expected to agree to deepen defence and security ties, including stepping up support for Ukraine, when they meet on Tuesday, Starmer's office said.

The leaders will see first-hand the work the armies of both countries are doing to train Ukrainian forces in the southwest of England, Starmer's office said, and Luxon was expected to confirm support for the initiative until the end of the year.

During the visit, the leaders are expected to discuss plans to step up defence and security cooperation, with ministers being instructed to work on a new joint defence partnership between the two countries, the statement said.

Starmer said Britain and New Zealand had stood "shoulder to shoulder for generations in pursuit of peace and stability".

"As the world becomes an increasingly dangerous place, I am proud how much we are doing together to support our national and economic security – stepping up our defence spending, deploying our navies together in the Indo-Pacific, and continuing our work to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position to deter an increasingly aggressive Russia," Starmer said in the statement.

 (Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Ros Russell)