On Wednesday, February 2, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky had a meeting with Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Mark Rutte who is on a working visit to Ukraine.
Apostrophe gathered key points stated by the representatives of states during the press conference.
Volodymyr Zelensky
"I am grateful that the Netherlands supports our sovereignty and independence. They are one of the key partners of Ukraine."
"The Netherlands is ready to cooperate to de-escalate the situation in eastern Ukraine."
"We spent most of our time today on the issue of security in Ukraine and security on our borders, which affects the economy of our country. We also discussed possible sanctions from the European Union and the Netherlands in case of escalation."
"Ukraine is interested in developing trade, economic and investment cooperation. Our trade turnover has crossed the $ 2.5 billion mark, but we strive to do much more and we are able to do more. I invited large Dutch companies to discover Ukraine and create new success stories in promising areas. These are alternative energy, river transport, water resources management, waste management, agriculture, irrigation and reclamation, and more."
"We will discuss the investigation of the MH-17 case with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands."
"The Netherlands is our important partner within the EU and the Alliance, one of the key trading partners in Europe and the second-largest investor in the Ukrainian economy. So it is not surprising that our bilateral agenda is as rich and meaningful as possible. This is evidenced by the Joint Statement adopted as a result of our talks."
“I am convinced that there are many new pages of success ahead in the partnership between Ukraine and the Netherlands. And these talks have clearly shown that we are determined to open them jointly for the benefit of our states and peoples."
President Zelenskyy also expressed his appreciation of the support provided by the Dutch side in the rehabilitation of Ukrainian servicemen injured in the course of the ongoing armed conflict. Prime Minister Rutte announced that the Netherlands will extend this support, in order to provide additional injured Ukrainian servicemen with rehabilitative care within this programme.
Mark Rutte
"The further aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine will have serious consequences."
“The only solution for the de-escalation is diplomacy, a dialogue that must continue between Russia and the United States, between Russia and NATO, and, of course, between the countries of the Normandy format - Ukraine, Germany, and France.”
"We are doing our best to bring to justice those responsible for the crash of MH-17."
Prime Minister Rutte also reiterated unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine and current military build-up near Ukrainian state borders.
Prime Minister Rutte expressed his support for maintaining Ukrainian efforts aimed at fostering the systemic transformation of the country and strengthening its resilience.
Prime Minister Rutte was encouraged by the vibrant civil society, which plays a vital role in the reform process in Ukraine. In support of the important ongoing reforms, Prime Minister Rutte announced that the Netherlands will increase its financial contributions to Ukrainian NGOs, as well as to UNDP activities in support of Security and Justice in conflict-affected eastern Ukraine.
In light of Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations, Prime Minister Rutte stands by decisions taken at the Bucharest Summit and subsequent summits. Prime Minister Rutte firmly supports Ukraine’s right to decide its own future and foreign policy free from outside interference. Ukraine’s status as Enhanced Opportunities Partner gives further impetus to strengthening the already wide-ranging NATO-Ukraine cooperation, including in the Black Sea region.
Prime Minister Rutte highly values Ukraine’s important contributions to Allied operations. These efforts demonstrate Ukraine’s commitment and capability to contribute to Euro-Atlantic security. Prime Minister Rutte commends Ukraine for the significant reforms already implemented and will continue to encourage and support Ukraine in these efforts, including in the security and defense sector, with regard to civilian control and democratic oversight.
Following the cyberattack against Ukraine on 14 January, the Netherlands stands ready to provide technical cyber assistance to Ukraine. The two leaders expressed their interest in advancing cooperation on cyber issues as well as on other matters of mutual concern in the face of contemporary challenges, including hybrid threats and the fight against disinformation.
Earlier, on February 1, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky met to discuss the situation in and around Ukraine.