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Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that he does not intend to participate in the summit of Russia and the European Union if the summit is held in the format of a meeting between Vladimir Putin and the leaders of the European Union countries, writes De Telegraaf.
Rutte noted that he has nothing against Putin’s meeting with the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. However, he himself will not participate in the summit.
The NOS TV channel reports that Rutte’s reluctance to participate in the summit is connected with the case of the Malaysian Boeing. 192 Dutch citizens were killed in the crash of the plane.
The leaders of Lithuania and Latvia also spoke out against the summit with Putin. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called such a meeting “an attempt to secure a jar of honey by coming into contact with a bear”.
Earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel proposed to hold a summit between the EU and Russia. Merkel’s initiative was supported by French President Emmanuel Macron and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.