Netherlands will keep taking in Ukrainian refugees if more flee winter without power

The Netherlands will continue taking in refugees from Ukraine if more people flee the country en masse, Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Foreign Affairs said ahead of the Council of Ministers. Russia is attacking Ukraine’s electricity facilities, leaving Ukrainians with no power in the winter.

Hoekstra called Russia’s attacks on electricity infrastructure “outright scandalous. This means that Putin is really targeting the civilian population,” NOS reports.

The Netherlands provided shelter in earlier phases of the war. “I think we should do that again,” Hoekstra said. “We have always said that we are in favor of reception in our region, and this is our region.” He wants to start by providing practical things to Ukraine, like warm blankets and generators, to help the population through the winter.

According to Hoekstra, Putin wants to drive a wedge between and within European countries by increasing the refugee flows. “Let’s not give that to him.

He also said the current debate on immigration in the Netherlands is separate from taking in Ukrainians. “I think it is widely accepted in society and also in the Cabinet that this is something out-of-category. The fact that we need to get a better grip on migration is evident, and we are discussing that. But I would really separate those two things.”

The Netherlands Institute for Human Rights previously raised concerns about the fact that the Netherlands is treating Ukrainian refugees differently from other asylum seekers. That is discrimination, the human rights institute said in July. The constitution prohibits discrimination based on origin unless there is a legal exception. And there is no such legal exception for sheltering Ukrainian refugees vs. other asylum seekers.