Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Koeleba leaves the Netherlands ‘with mixed feelings’

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Koeleba will leave the Netherlands on Wednesday “with mixed feelings”, he tells NRC† “On the one hand, Ukraine has been warmly welcomed and supported by the Dutch people and part of the political elite, but on the other hand, there are still some politicians who say that Ukraine does not deserve EU candidacy status.” Forum for Democracy, for example, believes that Ukraine should not become a member of the European Union. For those politicians, Koeleba says, Ukraine remains “a second-class country in Europe.”

“This is unfair, disappointing and needs to change. I see the potential for this to happen,” said the minister. During his two-day visit to the Netherlands, Koeleba had appointments with his counterpart Wopke Hoekstra (CDA), Finance Minister Sigrid Kaag (D66), Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD) and King Willem-Alexander. With Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren (D66), he discussed appropriate training that is part of the artillery that the Netherlands has supplied to the Ukrainian armed forces, ANP news agency writes. Koeleba also asked the defense minister to send more equipment.

With the cooperation of Mark Duursma.

Also read: Minister Koeleba: “It is only now that the EU realizes that Ukraine is part of the European family”

This article is also part of our live blog: EU: 300 billion euros to phase out Russian oil and natural gas