Russia dominates PM Jacinda Ardern's talks in London, with UK calling Five Eyes meeting

Russia appears fast becoming viewed as a rogue state, as the world's most powerful surveillance network convened four of its five members to consider how to respond to an increasing number of acts of aggression. 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern capped off a major day in London with the high security meeting, which followed a one-on-one with British Prime Minister Theresa May at 10 Downing Street.

Russia appeared to dictate the tone of both meetings but speaking ahead of the one-on-one discussion, May gave no indication her Government felt any unease at what was initially perceived as a soft stance from New Zealand on the poisoning of ex Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury with a nerve agent in early March.

The international community has blamed Russia for the attack, but New Zealand appeared slow off the mark as Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters tried to salvage a free trade deal with the state. Efforts to revive the deal have since been put on ice. 

"We have very good relations with New Zealand and we're very happy with the international response to what happened Salisbury," May said.

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Ardern said her private discussion with May was thorough, touching on security and the need for solidarity between New Zealand and the UK, and she remained confident the two countries were progressing well toward a free trade deal once the UK at left the European Union. 

FIVE EYES MEETING - WITH FOUR

Later, Ardern and May joined Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull, and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau at a meeting with four of the Five Eyes group at the National Cyber Security Centre at London. All happened to be in town to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. 

Five Eyes also includes the United States, which was not in London, and together the group represents the world's largest intelligence and surveillance network in the world. 

Each of the leaders gave a statement at the start of the meeting, focusing on defending the "rules-based order" that governed the international community. 

May said recent global events - the Salisbury attack, the chemical attack on civilians in Syria, Russian hacking and Russian interference in the US presidential election - called for nations to stand together "in the face of those who would challenge the rules-based international order". 

"As you know last month, a military grade nerve agent was deployed on the streets of a British city - an act we can only conclude was carried out by the Russian state. 

"And I'd like to thank our friends and allies here today for their solidarity in responding to what was an unprovoked and unacceptable action." 

She further singled out Russia: "Russia is using cyber as part of a wider effort to attack and undermine the international system. And it's interference over the past year has included attacks on the public sector, media, telecommunications and energy sectors.

"The cooperation between our nations, allowed us to trace the NotPetya attack to Russia. And since last month's attack in Salisbury, Russia has been waging concerted campaigns of cyber disinformation, seeking to distort the truth of what took place," May said. 

"I've been clear to Russia we know what it's doing and we should be in no doubt that such cyber warfare is one of the greatest challenges of our time." 

Her sentiments were echoed by Turnbull, who said the world was "appalled by the nerve agent attack on Salisbury" and against the Syrian regime that carried out a chemical attack on its own civilians, of Russia is an ally.

He said Australia supported the "calibrated, proportionate and, responsible" action of US-led missile strikes on Syria, carried out with the support of the UK and France, in response.

Trudeau said it was a necessary and targeted response, and acknowledged there had been a slide toward "more strongarm tactics and more authoritarian governments".

Ardern said New Zealand stood "absolutely opposed to the abhorrent use of chemical weapons". 

"Regardless of the area in which we've seen recent examples of the use, and regardless of scale, it is a violation of international law and we cannot allow their use to go unanswered."

Director General Cyber of British intelligence agency GCHQ Ciaran Martin said that in the current context of Russian cyber aggression, clear information sharing across governments and business was important.

"Only this week we issued advice to our Government and industry, details - two dozen pages of technical indicators saying to our departments, to our companies, to our individuals; 'this is how you contain the current threat from Russian cyber aggression"'.

Following the meeting, Ardern said the gathering was a useful opportunity to catch up, at a time where a number of security challenges threatened global destablisation. 

"Particularly on issues that we've seen in the public domain and you would have gleaned from the beginning of the meeting where acknowledged that we do need to make sure that we are focusing on enforcing rules-based order and that we cannot allow the use of chemical weapons to go unanswered, " she said.

"That was very much the rules-based order as it relates to a range of issues, was the centre of our discussion. 

"Beyond that, I won't be saying much more."

NZ BACKS OPCW FINDINGS

Meanwhile, New Zealand's representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Lyndal Walker, said in a statement on Wednesday (Thursday NZT): "New Zealand is deeply concerned by the OPCW's findings that a toxic chemical was used in the attack in Salisbury last month."

"The OPCW's investigation independently verifies the UK's own assessment that a toxic chemical of high purity was used in the incident. Furthermore, it is a matter of great concern that production of the type of chemical which OPCW has identified in its report has been linked to the former Soviet Union and its successor state Russia."

"We welcome the OPCW's deployment of technical assistance under the terms of the Convention and have full confidence in the OPCW's findings. New Zealand recognises that the UK's domestic investigation is ongoing and supports all efforts to bring the perpetrators of the attack to account. We reiterate our outrage at this callous attack and remain steadfast in our supoort of the UK.

"In light of the Salisbury incident and other recent chemical weapon attacks, including in Syria, global efforts are needed to ensure the obligations contained in the Chemical Weapons Convention are rigorously upheld. New Zealand remains committed to working with the international community to this end."