The Netherlands will supply Ukraine with heavy weapons, armored vehicles and self-propelled howitzers, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced on Monday at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv.
The Dutch politician called on the partner countries to do the same.
"Ukraine needs our military support. We must support Ukraine with modern precision weapons. I call on all my colleagues in Europe and other parts of the world to help Ukraine with heavy weapons. We ourselves will deliver heavy weapons, armored vehicles and self-propelled howitzers”
- said the Rutte.
The prime minister also called for economic support for Ukraine.
"We need to help Ukraine economically so that the Ukrainian economy can continue to function as much as possible in the current circumstances. We don't know how long this difficult war will last, but we know that Ukraine will continue to need our support when it finally ends."
Rutte said. He added:
also calls on the international community to start negotiations on the reconstruction of Ukraine.
During Rutte's working visit to Ukraine, he visited Bucsa, Irpiny and Borogyanka, i.e. the settlements around Kiev, where the Ukrainian authorities found the bodies of a large number of killed civilians after the withdrawal of the Russian troops.
At the press conference held in Kyiv, he stated: none of those who have committed serious crimes in Ukraine can escape justice. "Today I visited some places where Putin's army left a terrible mark: ruins and death. I can't even imagine how much suffering the occupiers caused while they were there," Interfax-Ukraine news agency quoted Rutte as saying.
The prime minister added that a special conference will be held in The Hague this week, organized by the European Commission and the International Criminal Court, to "bring accountability" for crimes against humanity and war crimes "closer."
Zelensky promised at the press conference that
Ukraine is "not wasting time in the next phase before the start of negotiations on EU membership".
"We quickly received candidate member status, I would like to personally thank Mark for supporting our candidacy. I know the decision was not easy, so I thank your government and society. For us, this is a really important indicator of who is really with us and who does things for us. We will not waste time in the next stage before the start of negotiations on EU membership, in the further transformation of our state in order to be ready to become a full-fledged member of the EU", stressed the President of Ukraine.
During the day, Zelensky had a telephone conversation with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the focus of their exchange of ideas was the solution to the grain delivery problems in Ukraine, Yevropeyzka Pravda news portal reported, referring to the information issued by the Turkish presidential office. Erdogan stated that Turkey continues to work on the implementation of the UN plan aimed at bringing Ukrainian grain products to the world market.
The Turkish leader stated that he envisions a diplomatic solution to the war between Ukraine and Russia. He assured the Ukrainian president that Ankara is ready to offer all support for this, including mediation.
In the meantime, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office announced on the Telegram messaging application that the number of victims of Monday morning's Russian artillery attacks on the city of Kharkiv had increased to six, including the death of a 17-year-old boy and his father. According to the announcement, residential buildings, a shopping center and a tire shop were set on fire in Kharkiv. According to the latest information, 31 people were injured, including a 4-year-old and a 16-year-old child.
Oleh Kotenko, the ombudsman responsible for issues related to missing persons, stated in a statement to the Suzpilne news portal that his office considers more than seven thousand Ukrainian soldiers to be missing. He added that most of them are in Russian captivity. The Ukrainska Pravda news portal added that the Ukrainian authorities do not disclose the losses of Ukrainian troops in the war, nor the number of prisoners.
MTI
Photo: MTI/EPA/Stephanie Lecocq
