Dutch FM: Netherlands to push for more Russia sanctions

The Dutch Cabinet is in favor of even stricter sanctions against Russia and will also argue for this during a meeting with EU foreign ministers, said Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra during a broadcast of WNL on Sunday. He wants to see whether more Russian branches can be closed off from the international payment system, SWIFT, with some banks blocked from the global financial transactions system late on Saturday night.

Hoekstra also wants to determine if all European airspace can be closed to Russian aircraft. Hours after his appearance, the Netherlands joined many other EU countries, and banned Russian aircraft from its airspace in a domestic decision. 

"The discussion about SWIFT is moving in the right direction," Hoekstra believes. "But I think you have to do more." Hoekstra also served as the Dutch finance minister during the previous Cabinet. He suspects that the discussion about SWIFT will continue in the coming period. He says that the Netherlands is "at the forefront" of calls for stricter sanctions.

Germany government officials also said the country is in favor of targeted and practical restrictions on the Russian use of SWIFT. Within the European Union, there is increasing support for excluding Russia from the system. Italy said it would support banning Russia from SWIFT, if the other European Union countries agree.

Italy had been an opponent to the measure, as was Germany. The latter felt that it would make it more difficult for ordinary citizens to transfer money to relatives in Russia. European businesses would also suffer as payments from customers or payments to suppliers become more complex. It could also endanger the delivery of Russian natural gas to Europe.

Hoekstra does acknowledge that sanctions alone will not ensure that President Vladimir Putin orders his troops to withdraw from Ukraine. "But then it cannot be the case that you refrain from sanctions. It is an important signal that this is not acceptable."

The minister also wants evidence of war crimes in Ukraine to be immediately gathered. He will press the United Nations to organize a commission to take on this effort. He says Ukraine needs military and humanitarian support right now, "but there will come a time when you have to deal with it legally.”

Putin will have to account for this as “the architect of this bloodshed,” Hoekstra said.