New Zealand government lack of sanctions against Russia

Prime Minister John Key says major companies such as Fonterra have been asked not to exploit the gap left by other countries' trade sanctions on Russia because to do so would be a "terrible look" for New Zealand.

Mr Key also revealed that although New Zealand has not officially imposed trade sanctions on Russia, government officials had called in Fonterra and other companies to ask them not to exploit the gap left in the Russian market. Mr Key said it was made clear that would be a terrible look for New Zealand - and while the Government could not stop them doing so, he believed they were acting responsibly.

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Well does anybody really believe that Fonterra will not exploit the openings in the Russian market created by the sanctions imposed by other nations? Companies like Fonterra really only care about their profit margins and opening up new markets. Russia has been an emerging market for New Zealand dairy export's for a number of years before the downing of flight MH17 and the conflict in the Ukraine.

Under the leadership of Prime Minster John Key the New Zealand government has made the decision that maintaining trade relations with Russia is of far greater importance than imposing sanctions. Heck Key's government only official protest laid has come from delaying the negotiation and signing of the New Zealand Russia Free Trade Agreement until an unspecified time.

The Kiwi and the international reader can rightfully John Key as being New Zealand 's Neville Chamberlain. The lack of moral and political condemnation from Key's government is Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement rearing its ugly head in it's most blatant form.

Like the cold hard depth of a Russian winter the sanctions or the lack of them from a Kiwi stand point have had no impact on Putin's regime incursion into the Ukraine. The policy of appeasement has been given a shabby make up job by the countries (including Australian Prime Minster Tony Abbott who shirt fronted himself at the G20 summit ) that have chosen to impose sanctions against Russia over the events in the Ukraine. The New Zealand government has chosen to throw away the Hollywood make up kit and adopt the policy of appeasement in its most naked form.

John Key's government will go down in history as having appeased the Putin regime along with the international community. History will shame the cowardly Kiwi political leaders who have appeased the Adolf Hitler of our time. I can only leave the reader with the following thought, if our political leaders and the vast majority of people have not heeded the hard learned lessons from two world wars what hope do we have of not repeating history?

The coming European war will be the fruits from the tree of appeasement. While the details of how the war will unfold are for another time it can be summarised that Russia will play the role Germany did in World War 2. Put another way Russia will be the aggressor in western Europe starting with Poland and the former East Germany and where there tanks stop rolling is yet to be treadled.