Dutch foreign minister says country no longer depends on Russian gas

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has forced the Netherlands to realize the malign nature of being dependent on Russia in terms of gas imports.

That’s according to Wopke Hoekstra, the Dutch Foreign Minister, who spoke in an interview with Ukrinform.

“The Netherlands no longer depends on Russian pipeline gas imports. Unfortunately, it took this war to really make us realize the undesirability of being dependent on Russia for gas, and the urgency of breaking this dependence. So we took various actions aimed at diversifying our import sources. I am glad I can say that we have succeeded at that,” the top diplomat said.

The foreign minister added that the Netherlands would continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

“The support for Ukraine in the Netherlands remains high. And our government remains very explicit about this. There is no alternative for Ukrainian victory on the battlefield, for Ukraine winning this war. That's why we’re so resolute in our support for Ukraine. We will continue standing with you, supporting you for as long as it takes with whatever it takes,” Hoekstra noted.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Netherlands and Denmark are posed to provide nearly 100 Leopard tanks to Ukraine.