Dutch PM did not tell Zelensky that he supports Ukraine's EU membership – media

20:27, 08.03.2022 1 min read

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte claims he did not tell Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he supports Ukraine's accession to the European Union.

He told reporters about this on Tuesday, broadcaster NOS (Nederlandse Omroep Stichting) reports.

Earlier, on his Twitter page, Zelensky wrote: "I spoke with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte. Told about the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, casualties among civilians, the course of evacuation and delivery of humanitarian aid. Thanked the Netherlands for its uncompromising stance on sanctions pressure on Russia and support for Ukraine's accession to the EU."

"According to Prime Minister Rutte, the latter is not the message he conveyed. 'I said that I fully understand that Ukraine has such a desire. I also said that we stand shoulder to shoulder to do everything we can for Ukraine in the short term. But now it is premature to talk about EU membership.' When asked by journalists if he would ask Zelensky to remove the tweet, he replied: 'No, I won't ask for that,'" according to NOS.