Dutch close embassy and consulate in Ukraine, shift staff to Polish border

People queue to donate blood in Lviv. Photo: Yuriy Dyachyshyn / AFP
People queue to donate blood in Lviv. Photo: Yuriy Dyachyshyn / AFP

Dutch embassy personnel are being moved from the city of Lviv to Jaroslaw in Poland, which is close to the Polish border, foreign minister Wopke Hoekstra announced on Saturday morning.

The embassy was moved earlier from Kyiv to Lviv because of the security situation but is now no longer responsible to stay in the country, Hoekstra said. The Lviv consulate is also being shut.

The Netherlands is now looking at what short term alternatives it can offer Dutch nationals who need travel documents to leave the country. Around a dozen people have reported to the consulate in Lviv looking for help in leaving, the ministry statement said.

The foreign minister is operating a 24/7 hotline for people needing help and advice: +31 247 247 247.

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