Dutch foreign minister Wopke Hoekstra was forced to take cover in an air raid shelter during a visit to the capital of Ukraine on Tuesday.

Hoekstra had just given a press conference announcing Dutch plans to spend an additional €15 million on solving war crimes in Ukraine when the air raid sirens sounded.

Several explosions were heard and the group was then escorted to a shelter, where they are all safe, news agency ANP said.

It is Hoekstra’s second visit to Kyiv since Russia invaded in February. He was last there in May.

Good to meet my dear colleague and friend @DmytroKuleba in Kyiv today. The resilience, determination, and courage of Dmytro and his fellow Ukrainians are deeply impressive and inspiring. I underlined our strong and sustained commitment to #Ukraine. #StandWithUkraine 1/3 🇺🇦🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/nkIuBKIqtO

— Wopke Hoekstra (@WBHoekstra) November 15, 2022

‘Being in Kyiv and witnessing the appalling damage inflicted on this city by Russian aggression hardens my determination to hold the perpetrators to account,’ Hoekstra said on Twitter. ‘It is my deepest conviction that we have a duty to help Ukraine in every way possible.’

Kyiv officials said at least two buildings in the city had been hit.