Dutch Defense Minister Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius urged Europe and its allies to keep Russia sanctions in place after President Donald Trump said he secured the release of Russian diesel into global markets.
“It’s very important that we remain cool and collected because there’s a huge war going on right now on our continent, and we don’t see it getting any better,” Yesilgoz said in a Bloomberg Television interview on the sidelines of the Warsaw Security Forum Monday.
“So it’s very important to make sure that the sanctions are in place and that Putin doesn’t get everything he needs to fund this war,” she added.
Upending western sanctions on Russian oil, Trump on Friday said he had reached a deal with President Vladimir Putin allowing 500,000 metric tons of fuel to reach international markets. Trump is trying to bring down diesel prices ahead of US Midterms in November, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the move would give Moscow more resources to fund its war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year.
The Netherlands has been one of Ukraine’s biggest supporters in Europe, allocating €3 billion ($3.4 billion) in military aid annually over the coming years. In July, Yesilgoz said her country was at its limit.
Still, on Monday Yesilgoz said European countries will step up.
“This is happening on our continent,” she said. “It would be lazy for us and it would be also naive just to sit on our chairs and wait ’til the Americans solve this.”