The VVD group in the House of Representatives wants to know from Minister of Foreign Affairs Hoekstra about the security risks for the Dutch in Ukraine and whether preparations are being made for a possible evacuation.
“Russia‘s military threat against Ukraine is becoming increasingly serious,” writes VVD MP Brekelmans on Twitter. “The #VS therefore advises rethinking all trips to Ukraine,” says the MP. He states that for most of Ukraine, code orange still applies to the Netherlands. The advice is then to go to such a country only for work or special family circumstances. “This must be sharper, we must not be naive,” he writes.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not want to anticipate parliamentary questions from the VVD and any adjustment of the travel advice.
Within a week
Russia has contracted around 100,000 heavily armed soldiers on the border with Ukraine and alludes to war. Discussions with the US and NATO over the past week have resulted in nothing. Within a week, Russia is demanding guarantees that Ukraine or other former Soviet states will not join NATO and that the alliance does not station military or weapons in those countries. “Our patience is up,” said Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on Friday. The West has rejected Russian demands.
President Putin said earlier that Russia will respond “military-technical” if the guarantees fail. When asked exactly what that means, Lavrov said on Friday that Putin’s answer will depend on the advice he receives from military experts.