Rob Rabel

Pleased to host the ambassadors of Ukraine and Poland and strategic comms expert Natalia Solieva this week for a discussion on Russian disinformation and hybrid warfare.

I truly enjoyed talking to Victoria University of Wellington students as the guest of the first Diplomatic Dialogue event this year, held in the framework of the Kitea Impact Programme. We touched upon the reasons behind #Poland’s record-breaking economic growth in the past years, Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of #Ukraine, Moscow’s hybrid warfare operations in Europe, as well as the historic friendship and the strengthening modern-day cooperation between 🇵🇱 and 🇳🇿. I was also glad to discover a dedicated fan of @R_Kubica among the participants and share some thoughts on working in the foreign service. Thank you prof. @RobRabelVUW for expertly moderating the discussion and sharing your vast knowledge of Poland’s history and politics. Victoria University of Wellington maintains bilateral student exchange agreements with @UniWarszawski and @SGHWarsaw. If you want to learn more about these opportunities come and meet the Polish Embassy team next Wednesday during the Exchange Fair 2026!

@NZinWarsaw @MFATNZ @VasylBodnar @AmbVasyl @IgorBrusylo @MFA_Ukraine Heartening to see the NZ government’s announcement of more aid for Ukraine on the sombre anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

🇺🇦🇳🇿 Four years on from Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion, New Zealand remains in steadfast solidarity with Ukraine. @MFATNZ @VasylBodnar @AmbVasyl @IgorBrusylo @MFA_Ukraine

@davidcapie Ever the master of understatement. Canada is not just lucky. It’s won the lottery!

Lucky Canada.

I recently sat down with Prof. @RobRabelVUW for an in-depth discussion on Russia’s war against Ukraine, the ongoing peace talks, and how Russia—as a Pacific country—can undermine security in the Indo-Pacific by creating a dangerous precedent of being rewarded for aggression. The event was hosted by the @NZIIA_Wgtn and the Centre for Strategic Studies at @VicUniWgtn You can watch the discussion here: wgtn.ac.nz/strategic-stud…

@davidcapie You are a master of understatement, Dear Leader!

Gianni Infantino makes Sepp Blatter seem like Nelson Mandela.

Great to celebrate fifty years of ⁦@NZIIA_live⁩ New Zealand International Review tonight in Wellington. Congratulations to long-time editor Ian McGibbon and everyone else who has contributed to its production over the last five decades.

Poland’s Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski is asked why it is that the Polish public accepts that the country spends nearly 5% of its GDP on the military: “We would rather eat grass than become a Russian colony again”

The struggle for democracy in Belarus » ⁦@CSS_VUW⁩ is delighted to co-host with ⁦@NZIIA_live⁩ the courageous and eloquent Belarusian Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. She will be speaking in Wellington on 3 November. Details below. nziia.org.nz/events/the-str…

Chinese diplomats pressured university over Taiwan event - Newsroom newsroom.co.nz/2025/09/16/chi…

@davidcapie Excellent to see. Our Warsaw-based NZ Ambassador to Ukraine, Paul Ballantyne, also accompanied them.

Big news …

@NZinWarsaw @AmbVasyl Heartening to see this fine gesture of NZ support for Ukraine, Paul!

Thanks for your warm welcome to Kyiv @AmbVasyl

@NZinWarsaw Great to see that, Paul. I was at the Memorial later in the day at 17:00 for the 81st anniversary of Godzina W and to reflect on the bravery of my father and the thousands of other brave Poles who rose up on that day in 1944.

An absolute privilege to participate in the official ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising yesterday evening. Together with Polish officials, veterans, and residents of Warsaw, I paid tribute to the brave men and women who began their fight for the city’s freedom on 1 August 1944. @PatrykBlaszczak @PLinNewZealand @pawelkowalpl @warszawa

@ZbigGniat @iga_swiatek Amazing how much power Poles can derive from pasta alla truskawka. 😊

.@iga_swiatek 🇵🇱 completes a fantastic final to defeat Anisimova and win her sixth Grand Slam and first #Wimbledon title. Congrats!🥳

@NZinWarsaw @Wimbledon Amazing what pasta alla truskawka can do. 😊

Gratulacje Iga Świątek on an incredible win @Wimbledon !!! 💪🇵🇱🎾🏆

Wonderful to see 🇳🇿’s Victoria University of Wellington and 🇵🇱’s University of Warsaw partner in support of displaced Ukrainian scholars. Thanks @RobRabelVUW for such a valuable initiative! @AmbVasyl @VasylBodnar @PatrykBlaszczak @UniWarszawski @pawelkowalpl wgtn.ac.nz/news/2025/06/u…

@NZinWarsaw @AmbVasyl @VasylBodnar @PatrykBlaszczak @UniWarszawski @pawelkowalpl Thanks for publicising this joint New Zealand-Polish academic initiative, Paul! Both universities and the donors to the fellowship are proud to have supported displaced Ukrainian scholars.

What does a second Trump presidency mean for global stability, US foreign policy, the Pacific region and New Zealand's international relationships? Moderated by Emeritus Professor Roberto Rabel @robrabelvuw.

Pleased to have an article on Global South and Western divergence on Russia’s war against Ukraine in the latest issue of International Affairs: doi.org/10.1093/ia/iia…

Our May issue is OUT NOW‼️ ➡️Special section on boundary work and the (un)making of global cooperation 7⃣ articles on the conservative global order, LGBTQ+ rights, disinformation and more 3⃣ policy papers on peace in Yemen, the WTO in crisis and more 2⃣5⃣ book reviews Read here: academic.oup.com/ia/issue/101/3