Europe
Netherlands: “Russia is our enemy,” says the defence minister; the Russian embassy threatens a “crushing response”
Dutch Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius said in parliament on October 8 that “Russia is our enemy”, adding that this does not mean the Netherlands is at war. The Russian embassy in The Hague called the remarks an outburst and warned of a crushing response to any encroachment on Russia’s security.
“Russia is no longer the aggressor. That is a euphemism you will not often hear from me again. Russia is our enemy,” Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius said on Thursday, October 8, during the defence budget debate in the House of Representatives, as reported by NL Times.
“And no, that does not mean we are at war. But a carefree peace is also very far away,” she added. She said intelligence and security services are warning, not without reason, that Russia is preparing for the possibility of a conflict with NATO, and that this means the Netherlands must be alert and resilient. The minister said the Netherlands cannot be naive and that Dutch forces training in Estonia show Russia that NATO is ready to defend its eastern borders.
“Russia is testing Western society, including ours,” she said. “If you have an enemy like Putin, who is not open to a good conversation and a cup of coffee…” she continued, one has to show that one stands strong together with others.
The Russian embassy’s response
The Russian embassy in The Hague responded with a comment given to the TASS news agency, which it also published on Telegram. It described the minister’s statements as an outburst that went beyond any conceivable limit and asked whether she speaks on behalf of the entire Dutch government and whether her words should be considered “an official declaration of a shift towards direct military confrontation” with Russia, as NL Times quotes the embassy.
According to the embassy, by calling Russia an “enemy”, Yeşilgöz-Zegerius “has shamelessly revealed her desire to provoke an armed conflict with our country”. It claimed that Russia has no aggressive intentions towards Europe in general or the Netherlands in particular, but warned that any encroachment on the security and sovereignty of the Russian Federation would be met with an immediate and “crushing response”. The embassy asked the Dutch authorities for an official and clear clarification.
The MIVD warnings
The statements come a week after the head of the Dutch military intelligence service MIVD, Peter Reesink, warned of possible Russian attacks, saying that related incidents are increasing and that further escalation is possible. The Dutch government had not publicly responded to the embassy’s request.