Judith Collins: Defence Minister on her trip to Ukraine to see the front line

Defence Minister Judith Collins has had frontline access to the war in Ukraine. 

She's returned from the war-torn country, visiting sites impacted by Russia's three and a half year long invasion.  

Collins met with Ukraine's Defence Minister while there, alongside speaking with the Foreign Minister, the Office of the President, and Deputy Minister of Defence. 

She told Mike Hosking it's a difficult situation. 

Collin says the Ukrainians are not giving in, but they do want a ceasefire, and they do worry about the people being slaughtered. 

The Defence Minister says she saw appalling behaviour from Russia, with war crime after war crime.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
To the war where the Coalition to the Willing have
held another of these meetings over night. This talk of
air support and d mining. I'll come to that in
the moment, but it comes after the visit of course
to Ukraine by our defenseman as to Judith Collins who
was in Key to meet with her Ukrainian counterpart, among
other things, and the Judith Collins is with us.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Morning our good morning, Mike.

Speaker 1 (00:17):
Just out of that meeting, Macron said, of the thirty
five that were in the meeting overnight, twenty six have
committed to troops. Are we one of them?

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Well, I wasn't in the meeting, and the and so
the Primaris very clear that any such commitment would need
to go through Template and it hasn't gone through CAMPLT
So I can't end any water.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
Would he be in a position at the meeting if
we are one of the twenty six to say, you
know due process included where part of it could be
part of it or not?

Speaker 2 (00:50):
Well, I think we speculating. The Prime Minster and I
have over the last innocence started these meeting and try
to attend them and to be part of those discussions.
But he's been very clear to me that any such
decision would have to go through plevenant. As they said,

(01:11):
it hasn't okay.

Speaker 1 (01:12):
What's your sense of what you saw? Is this thing
grinding on forever or is something material going to happen soon?

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Well? I think the fact that three and a half
years into what Russia thought was a three day war
tells you that Ukraines are not giving in. They do, however,
want to cease far. They do, howevern, want this stopped.
They do care about their people, unlike persons, and they

(01:42):
do worry that they have people being sorted and as
I saw and feared people being killed in residential properties,
apartment blocks with missiles coming in bliss, you know, just
a falling behavior from Russia, and frankly, war crime after
war crime.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
Yeses anddeed, But that's the problem, isn't it. There was
a time when Kiev wasn't hitting, you were relatively safe
inm Keev and that's no longer the case, which might
indicate that Russia's on the offensive and something needs to happen.
Do you get that sense?

Speaker 2 (02:14):
Well, I think what's really clear is that it was
this particular ballistic missile that and I saw some of
its handywork and that has been launched fourteen hundreds kilometers away.
I think that the Ukrainians are very staunched people. They

(02:35):
love the fact that they have support from places as
far as wears US. But they are also they have
listened to President Trump, They've listened to Presence Metamore and
the others involved in discussions, and they want to get
this sorted. The problem is so far Lusan has let

(02:55):
deadlines go past, and he simply increased what he's doing.
He's got troops from more career there now he's clearly
supported in the war and many ways by China. I mean,
it's a difficult situation and I think that there's a
lot riding on those discussions between the US and the

(03:17):
NATO partners. Plus also countries like Australia and ourselves.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
Appreciate your time trouble well due to the Collins the
Defense Minister. So a question obviously for Reluxant on Monday
thim somebody doesn't get to him sooner. I would have
thought someone would have asked the question by now, given
he's in a meeting and maybe we've made a commitment,
maybe we haven't. For more from the Mike asking Breakfast,
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