A former Foreign Minister says New Zealand's new weapons deal with the UK reflects a strong relationship. 

Christopher Luxon and Sir Keir Starmer have met in the UK overnight. 

They've announced a deal worth more than $60 million for New Zealand-made drones and discussed the war in Ukraine. 

Sir Don McKinnon told Mike Hosking it's another step in joint support for the war-torn country. 

He says New Zealand and the UK have always been closely linked, but there's a long way to go before the war can be stopped. 

Luxon and Starmer are also pushing for even closer military ties, coming after the Government announced it's boosting military spending to hit more than 2% of GDP. 

McKinnon told Hosking it'll help New Zealand's international reputation. 

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