Winston Peters' Washington visit 2025

The story so far

Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters travelled to New York and Washington DC in March 2025 for high-level talks on international affairs.^{10 Mar 2025} In Washington he met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials, and said the early conversations focused on what the new US administration expects from New Zealand.^{17, 18 Mar 2025} Peters urged the United States to make monitoring the movement of Chinese warships into the Pacific a priority.^{17 Mar 2025} He met Rubio to seek exemptions from proposed agricultural tariffs, describing the meeting as substantive and productive.^{19 Mar 2025} Rubio and Peters later met again in Washington to discuss defence burden sharing, a policy of increased spending by allies and partners.^{20 Mar 2025}

Latest

The most recent meeting between Rubio and Peters, held on a Wednesday in Washington, focused on defence burden sharing.^{20 Mar 2025} Peters said he was satisfied with that meeting, which followed a series of high-level engagements in the United States.^{20 Mar 2025}

Key moments

1. 10 Mar 2025Peters announces US trip to meet Rubio and UN representatives.
2. 17 Mar 2025Peters urges US to monitor Chinese warship movements in Pacific.
3. 19 Mar 2025Peters seeks exemptions from proposed agricultural tariffs in Washington meeting.
4. 20 Mar 2025Rubio and Peters discuss defence burden sharing in Washington.

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