The Government will send a C130 Hercules aircraft to Europe to help move donated military provisions to Ukraine, and will provide millions of dollars for weapons to arm Ukrainian soldiers.

“New Zealand will contribute an extra $13 million towards military legal and human rights support including $7.5 million to contribute to weapons and ammunition procurement, via the United Kingdom,” Ardern said, at a press conference on Monday.

A further $4.1m will be provided so that Ukraine’s military can have access to commercial satellites, which will “help them understand and respond to Russia’s actions on the battlefield”.

A further $1m will be provided to the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, and $500,000 to the International Criminal Court to support an investigation into Russian war crimes.

The Hercules will be travelling with 50 Defence Force soldiers, who will work within Europe for three months. Of these staff, 20 will maintain the Hercules. A further eight logistics staff will separately support efforts across Europe.

“At no point will they enter Ukraine, nor have they been asked to,” Ardern said.

Russia has waged a brutal war against Ukraine for nearly two months and, after failing to take the capital Kyiv, has in recent weeks switched to a military campaign in the country’s east.

MPs consider summoning Russian ambassador

MPs on the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade committee have in the past month been seeking to have the Russian Ambassador to New Zealand, Georgii Viktorovich Zuev.

Stuff understands the committee’s MPs are now exploring whether Zuev can be summoned, or required, to brief them, after he first rejected and then ignored two requests to appear. Such a move has only occurred once in Parliament’s recent history.

Parliament staff and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) are considering whether the ambassador may be protected from being compelled to front a committee by the Vienna Convention, which provides diplomats legal immunity in the countries they serve in.

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The tension between Zuev and the committee has bolstered calls within Parliament to expel the ambassador. The Government has been unwilling to do this as it would possibly prompt Moscow to expel the New Zealand ambassador, closing a diplomatic channel with Russia and leaving New Zealanders in the country without consular support.

Green Party foreign affairs spokeswoman Golriz Ghahraman said the committee’s work had been obstructed by Zuev’s unwillingness to front, as the Ukrainian and European ambassadors have done.

She said ambassador could address the committee on matters such as aid corridors in Ukraine, given New Zealand had committed humanitarian aid.

“We don't normally call for expulsion, even when there is evidence of grave human rights abuses because we believe that it's still in the interests of the victims to continue to attempt with that dialogue.

“Having said that, if a diplomat in this position is obstructive of dialogue, then it's different, it calls into question whether he should be expelled ... If he continues to refuse to essentially engage in dialogue, then I think he should be expelled.”

Speaker Trevor Mallard said he would attend the committee to speak about the matter.

"I'm myself waiting for advice that the clerk's office is preparing for me, but they are also doing this in conjunction with MFAT, so that we have a really good understanding of the law and the treaty in that area.”

Mallard said the only previous instance he knew of a committee attempting to summons three gang members. Only one was served the summons, but he did not show.

National Party foreign affairs spokesman Gerry Brownlee declined to speak the committee’s considerations, which have occurred behind closed doors.

He said it remained the party’s position that Zuev should be expelled.

ACT Party foreign affairs spokeswoman Brooke van Velden said there were more “practical actions” the Government could take, such as sending Ukraine javelin anti-tank missile systems.

“It’s important to keep our options for diplomacy open, rather than acting alone and expelling the Russian ambassador.”

The Russian embassy has been contacted for comment.