New Zealand’s Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, dismissed the country’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Phil Goff, on Thursday after remarks he made that were perceived as critical of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Goff, speaking at a forum in London on Tuesday, appeared to question Trump’s understanding of history, drawing a comparison between the former president’s approach to Russia and Winston Churchill’s wartime leadership against Nazi Germany.
“President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. But do you think he really understands history?” Goff asked during a panel discussion with Finland’s Foreign Minister, Elina Valtonen.
In response, Peters issued a statement expressing disappointment in Goff’s comments, emphasizing that they did not reflect the New Zealand government’s stance.
“They do not represent the views of the NZ Government and make his position as High Commissioner to London untenable,” Peters stated.
Goff, a former foreign minister and Labour Party lawmaker, had been appointed as New Zealand’s ambassador to the UK in 2023.
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