No alternative, will support Ukraine: Dutch FM Wopke

NEW DELHI: On the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting (FMM) in New Delhi at Rashtrapati Bhawan, Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra interacted with media on Thursday soon after the meeting was over and said that will continue to support Ukraine.

Foreign Minister of Netherlands, Wopke Hoekstra further stressed that there is no alternative and we have to support Ukraine for European Union and the world.

"There is no alternative for Ukraine and this war is also a litmus test for both Europeans and Dutch. We will continue to support Ukraine," he said.

Russia launched this invasion last year on February 24 and the war is still going on... The stakes for the world's safety and security are high, the Dutch Foreign Minister said.

"Only if Ukraine is successful, it will be able to successfully negotiate at the table and there is much more other than Ukrainian sovereignty, there is much more at stake," he added.

In recent days, the Netherlands passed an order to close the Russian trade office in Amsterdam and asked Russian diplomats to leave the country, according to reports.

India is holding the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting under its Presidency and is scheduled to host many foreign dignitaries.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday welcomed foreign delegates at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting (G20FMM).

He welcomed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken along with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Minister of China Qin Gang, Foreign Minister of Argentina Santiago Cafiero, Mauritius Foreign Minister Alan Ganoo, South African Foreign Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor, and Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.

Lavrov will hold a presser in Delhi, just before US Secretary of State Blinken's presser.

"Blinken will also be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is also scheduled to meet Jaishankar.

It is expected that the Russia-Ukraine war will be on the agenda of Blinken.