New Zealand removes top UK envoy over remarks on Donald Trump's historical knowledge

New Zealand has fired its ambassador to the United Kingdom, Phil Goff after he questioned US President Donald Trump’s knowledge of history during an event held by international affairs think tank Chatham House in London.

Goff, appointed as the ambassador to the UK in 2023, compared Trump’s efforts to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the 1938 Munich Agreement, which allowed Adolf Hitler's annexation of Czechoslovakia.

He then emphasized that Trump had brought Churchill's bust back to the Oval Office and asked if Trump truly understood history. “President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. But do you think he understands history?” Goff asked Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters stated that Goff’s remarks were “deeply disappointing” and added they made Goff's position "untenable." He also clarified that Goff’s remarks contradicted the New Zealand government.

"When you are in that position you represent the government and the policies of the day, you're not able to free think, you are the face of New Zealand," local media quoted Peter as saying.

Goff’s remarks came after Trump stopped military aid to Kyiv amid its ongoing war against Russia. Trump decided on a heated exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy.

Trump stopped the aid to build pressure on Zelenskyy to engage in peace talks with Russia’s Putin to halt the ongoing war. The US has been the largest supplier of defense help to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Under the Joe Biden administration, the US played a key role in leading a global coalition of nations that has backed Kyiv in its fight against Moscow.

Goff had been serving as High Commissioner since January 2023. Before that, he held several ministerial positions, including foreign affairs, justice, and defense. Former prime minister Helen Clark expressed her disapproval of Goff's dismissal.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Goff said, “The episode was a very thin excuse for removing a highly respected former foreign minister from his diplomatic role.”