Translated material
Dutch minister who lied about meeting with Putin resigns
Dutch Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstr, who lied about meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2006, has resigned. It is reported by Reuters.
The politician explained this decision by the fact that he cannot continue to work because of his undermined authority.
On the eve of Zijlstr admitted that he was not at the meeting, during which Putin allegedly spoke about "great Russia" with Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Baltic states in its composition.
According to the minister, this conversation really took place, but Zeilstra published the story on his own behalf, so as not to endanger the source and the business of Shell, of which he was an employee at that moment.
The Russian Embassy in the Netherlands, commenting on the publication about the minister’s lies, stated that “attempts to ascribe to Russia “great-power ambitions”, the desire to recreate the “Soviet empire” do not stand up to scrutiny.”
On February 13, Zeilstra was to meet for the first time as a minister with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. One of the main topics for discussion will be the investigation into the crash of the Boeing 777 in Ukraine in 2014.