Dutch embassy staff fleeing Ukraine to set up in Poland

Ambassador to Ukraine Jennes de Mol and his team will leave Lviv for Poland, where they will continue their work, announced Foreign Affairs Minister Wopke Hoekstra. This means the Dutch support center and consulate in Lviv will both close.

The security situation in Lviv is deteriorating and Hoekstra said it is no longer responsible for the embassy team to remain in Ukraine. The meeting point was previously moved from Kyiv to Lviv over security concerns. In recent days, a dozen Dutch people have reported to Lviv, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Netherlands is looking into ways to continue to help people who need travel documents to leave the country. However, there is no indication that Dutch people are detained in Ukraine due to a lack of travel documents, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Dutch government urged citizens since mid-February to leave Ukraine as soon as possible.

Dutch people in Ukraine can still call the contact center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24 hours a day at +31 247 247 247.