MOSCOW, November 29. /TASS/. Russia won’t consider reassessing its ties with the Netherlands until after Moscow sees concrete steps by the incoming Dutch government, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
"With respect to the outlook for how the incoming Dutch cabinet will build relations with Russia and the potential influence that the new political leader in that country could make on the development of bilateral relations, I believe that it will be possible to talk [about this] only after some concrete steps," the diplomat said at a news conference.
She made the remark when asked about the chances of relations between the two countries improving after the far-right Party for Freedom led by Geert Wilders won the recent Dutch election.
"Based on the outcome of the election, they are now about to form a ruling coalition before they get to work," Zakharova said. "The ruling coalition will determine the key tenets of Dutch domestic and foreign policy. So, we will rely on concrete cases to build our assessment. For now, things are only starting to take shape there.
The diplomat said Russia never comments on specific choices made by voters in other countries.
"It is up to the people living in a particular state who to elect and what to vote for," the spokeswoman stated.
Earlier, acting Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren expressed concern over whether support for Ukraine would continue when a new cabinet took office, given that the party led by Wilders would have a leading role.
The party’s campaign uses rhetoric such as the "Russian aggressor" and the "illegal invasion of Ukraine," but it also states its opposition to providing Kiev with money and weapons, such as F-16 fighter jets.