🎙 Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's answers to media questions concerning the Netherlands’ extremely unfriendly actions towards Russia (October 20, 2026) ❓ Question: The Kingdom’s First deputy PM and Minister of Defence, Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, has stated that The Hague now regards Moscow as an “enemy”. The Russian Embassy in the Netherlands has sent a note requesting clarification as to whether this is the Kingdom’s official position or merely the Minister’s personal view. Has the Embassy received a response, and how would you comment on the situation overall? 💬 Maria Zakharova: Indeed, following the remarks by Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, the Russian Embassy sent a note to the Dutch Foreign Ministry. No official response has been received so far. Some members of the Dutch cabinet, however, have already rushed to express their views. Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen essentially confirmed that the Minister’s remarks reflect the state’s official position. Prime Minister Rob Jetten offered a more detailed explanation at his weekly press conference. He acknowledged that the remarks made by the Defence Minister, who is also his deputy, during parliamentary debates on the Kingdom’s 2027 budget were aimed primarily at a domestic audience to justify increased military spending, while also describing them as a “signal to Moscow”. ☝️ It is telling that, when asked what actions Russia had taken directly against the Netherlands, the Prime Minister was unable to answer. We have repeatedly spoken about the degradation of Western political elites. This situation in the Netherlands provides further confirmation. Some Dutch politicians appear to have developed such an unhealthy obsession with Russia that even a mention of our country in the most neutral context leaves them unable to think rationally. Such behaviour increases the risk of the escalation they themselves have set in motion spiralling out of control. Let us reiterate: Russia has repeatedly stated that it has no hostile intentions whatsoever towards EU or NATO countries. At the same time, we have always stressed that, should a genuine threat to our country arise, we will use every means necessary at our disposal to neutralise it. *** ❓ Question: The Dutch authorities have denied Russian female gymnasts visas to compete in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, taking place in Rotterdam from October 17 to 25. How do you assess this decision? 💬 Maria Zakharova: First, the Dutch Embassy in Moscow refused for a long time to accept visa applications from our national artistic gymnastics team. Then, having manufactured a last-minute rush, it finally issued visas – but not to everyone. On a contrived pretext, citing the position of unnamed EU allies, it denied visas to Russia’s strongest and most decorated female gymnasts, who were leading medal contenders. Resorting to openly chauvinistic, underhand tactics deliberately designed to weaken our team is entirely consistent with the Dutch authorities’ current moral standards. ❗️ We urge international sports federations, when selecting host countries for tournaments, to bear in mind that the Netherlands is unable to ensure fair and impartial competition. Read in full