New Zealand has said it wants to join the chorus of voices against President Vladimir Putin by removing Russian spies but it can’t find any to kick out.
As Russian officials prepare to be escorted to airports around the world in protest at the alleged Kremlin-backed nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, the antipodean nation is struggling to find any suitable to expel.
“We have done a check in New Zealand. We don’t have Russian undeclared intelligence officers here. If we did, we would expel them,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told state radio. “When there’s a range of international interests… does it surprise me New Zealand is not top of their list? No, actually.”
Ardern said New Zealand “will keep under review what further actions it can take to support the international community over the Salisbury attack”. New Zealand is a member of the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing network, which also includes the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia.