A New Zealand man's wife and baby son are caught in the chaos in Ukraine as they desperately try to flee the country over the Romanian border.
Nigel Peterson told AM he wants the New Zealand Government to help those Ukrainians seeking refuge, as the country faces the biggest assault on a European nation since World War II.
Russia invaded Ukraine last week, something Moscow has downplayed as a "special military operation".
"My wife's seen the chaos and there are a lot of families, particularly children and women who are left without their husbands, who are trying to flee," Peterson said on Monday.
He said his wife was heading to the Romanian border from Lviv - a western Ukraine city where hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled.
"It's difficult because her family has chosen to remain so it's challenging for her, but she's trying to get through it and get her and my son to safety.
"She's been on a train for the last, say, 14 hours; a long train ride but it's looking promising. It was really challenging 12 hours ago when she was trying to get on a train that was full of evacuees."
Peterson said his wife was courageous.
"If there's anyone who can get through it, it will be her - I'm hopeful that she's going to get to safety."
He said he's been in contact with New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was hopeful she'd be looked after in Romania.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand would continue to support Ukraine through humanitarian aid.
"New Zealand has taken a very strong position on the invasion by Russian forces into Ukraine. Today, we'll be looking and making announcements on the first blush of humanitarian assistance that we'll be wanting to put into the region," she told AM on Monday.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU welcomes "with open arms, those Ukrainians who have to flee [Russia President Vladimir] Putin's bombs and I'm proud of the warm welcome that Europeans have given them".
More than 7 million Ukrainians were likely displaced by the conflict, the EU believes.
