The New Zealand government has announced the deployment of a Royal New Zealand Air Force Lockheed C-130H Hercules transport and 50 support personnel to Europe for at least two months to support the ongoing NATO and allied effort to support Ukraine.

The 11 April announcement says the aircraft departed that day, and will deploy via the UK to procure military equipment for Ukraine. It also said a further eight logistics personnel will be based in Germany to support the mission.

“Our support is to assist the Ukraine Army to repel a brutal Russian invasion because peace in the region of Europe is essential for global stability,” NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a release. “Such a blatant attack on a country’s sovereignty is a threat to all of us and that’s why we too have a role to play.

“The global response has seen an unprecedented amount of military support pledged for Ukraine, and more help to transport and distribute it is urgently needed, and so we will do our bit to help,” she added.

Minister of Defence, Peeni Henare added, “This deployment is in response to a direct ask by the UK, which identified that New Zealand could play a tangible role in supporting what has become an enormous logistical task.”

While NATO and allied transport aircraft are not entering Ukrainian airspace, most of the supplies of weapons, ammunition, and humanitarian aid have been delivered by air to the eastern Poland city of Rzeszow, located about 70km from the Ukraine border and 150km by road and rail from the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. The US base at Ramstein near Stuttgart in Germany and the UK’s RAF Brize Norton have been the main staging points for the flights into Poland.

“Over the next few months, our team will travel throughout Europe transporting much-needed equipment and supplies to key distribution centres, but at no point will they enter Ukraine,” Ms Ardern added. “We will continue to answer to the calls of Ukraine, with regular reviews of how we can keep making the greatest difference.”