Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he did not support the EU’s refusal to purchase Russian crude oil and natural gas. He also added that he is not considering closing the port of Rotterdam to Russian ships and does not support Ukraine’s membership in the European Union.
During his visit to Paris, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte explained that the decision of the European Union to refuse to purchase Russian oil and natural gas could lead to economic imbalance in the EU countries.
In Paris, at a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands added that Russian supplies should not be immediately abandoned, because the EU needs oil and gas reserves. Instead, he stressed that the Community must do more to achieve a green agenda and decarbonize the economy.
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands also added that he was not considering closing the port of Rotterdam to Russian ships.
Dutch “no” to Ukraine in the EU
The head of the government of the Netherlands also referred to the post of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on Twitter that the Netherlands supports his country’s membership in the EU.
“I spoke with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands (…) and thanked him for his uncompromising position on sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine’s EU accession,” President Zelensky wrote on Tuesday.
When asked by journalists about the accession of the Ukrainian president, the obviously bewildered Prime Minister Rutte said that the Netherlands does not support the entry of Poland’s eastern neighbor into the European Union.
“I understand that Ukraine has such a desire, but this is a long-term process that can take even decades,” the head of the government of the Netherlands told reporters.
Rutte explained that Ukraine could become an EU candidate country, but also stressed that he did not promise The Hague support for Kyiv’s membership in the European Union.