THE HAGUE: Incoming Dutch prime minister Rob Jetten on Friday ruled out talks with Russia over the war in Ukraine, as he unveiled a new government program including firm support for Ukraine.
Speaking to AFP after publishing his governing manifesto, the 38-year-old said he would not speak to Moscow as there were currently “no indications” Russia wanted to end the war in Ukraine.
“And as long as the aggression continues, we will continue our support for the Ukrainian people,” he said.
The 79-page manifesto, hammered out after weeks of tough talks between Jetten and his two coalition partners, pledged no let-up in Dutch support for Kyiv.
“The fight in Ukraine is about the security of the whole of Europe,” said the document entitled “Getting to Work.”
“So we are continuing our own multi-year financial and military support and we will continue to argue for the use of frozen Russian assets,” the manifesto said.
The new administration also pledged to anchor in law the NATO defense spending minimum of 3.5 percent of economic output pushed by US President Donald Trump.
Asked about relations with the United States following an unseemly spat between Washington and Europe over Greenland, Jetten called for more European independence.
“I’m a little bit worried that people in Europe are mainly complaining about what’s happening in the US,” Jetten said.
“We should be having a much stronger debate about what can Europe do for itself,” he added.
Jetten, from the centrist D66 party, will now form a cabinet, aiming to be sworn in by mid-February.
He is on course to become the youngest leader of the European Union’s fifth-largest economy and the first to be openly gay.
Jetten led his party to a stunning election victory in October, narrowly defeating the far-right Freedom Party headed by firebrand anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders.
The fragmented nature of the Dutch political system means lengthy coalition haggling follows an election.
Jetten finally clinched a deal with two center-right parties but will not enjoy a majority in parliament, meaning the government will need the support of other parties to pass legislation.
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Dutch PM-elect Jetten says not yet time to talk to Putin
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Dutch PM-elect Jetten says not yet time to talk to Putin
- “And as long as the aggression continues, we will continue our support for the Ukrainian people,” Jetten said
- The 79-page manifesto pledged no let-up in Dutch support for Kyiv
Hundreds of thousands without power after storm lashes France
- Around 450,000 households in southern France were without power on Friday, operator Enedis said, a day after a storm tore through the region, ripping up trees and flooding roads
PARIS: Around 450,000 households in southern France were without power on Friday, operator Enedis said, a day after a storm tore through the region, ripping up trees and flooding roads.
High winds and hard rain brought chaos across southern France, northern Spain and parts of Portugal on Thursday, forcing cancelations of flights, trains and ferries and disruption on roads.
French officials said a truck driver was killed when a tree smashed through his windscreen, while dozens were injured in weather-related incidents in Spain and a viaduct in Portugal partially collapsed because of flooding.
French forecasters said the storm, named Nils, was “unusually strong” and France’s electricity distributor said it had mobilized around 3,000 as it battled to reconnect households to the grid.
“Enedis has restored service to 50 percent of the 900,000 customers who were without electricity,” it wrote around 6:00 am (0500 GMT).
“Flooding complicates repairs because the fields are waterlogged and some roads are blocked,” Enedis crisis director Herve Champenois said during a press briefing on Thursday.
Residents across the south of France were shocked at the storm’s ferocity.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Ingrid, a florist in the city of Perpignan, told AFP. “A tree almost fell on my car — two seconds more and it would have.”
“During the night, you could hear tiles lifting, rubbish bins rolling down the street — it was crazy,” said Eugenie Ferrier, 32, from the village of Roaillan near Bordeaux in the southwest.
Forecasters said the storm had moved eastwards away from French territory during Thursday, though some areas were still on alert for flooding.
High winds and hard rain brought chaos across southern France, northern Spain and parts of Portugal on Thursday, forcing cancelations of flights, trains and ferries and disruption on roads.
French officials said a truck driver was killed when a tree smashed through his windscreen, while dozens were injured in weather-related incidents in Spain and a viaduct in Portugal partially collapsed because of flooding.
French forecasters said the storm, named Nils, was “unusually strong” and France’s electricity distributor said it had mobilized around 3,000 as it battled to reconnect households to the grid.
“Enedis has restored service to 50 percent of the 900,000 customers who were without electricity,” it wrote around 6:00 am (0500 GMT).
“Flooding complicates repairs because the fields are waterlogged and some roads are blocked,” Enedis crisis director Herve Champenois said during a press briefing on Thursday.
Residents across the south of France were shocked at the storm’s ferocity.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Ingrid, a florist in the city of Perpignan, told AFP. “A tree almost fell on my car — two seconds more and it would have.”
“During the night, you could hear tiles lifting, rubbish bins rolling down the street — it was crazy,” said Eugenie Ferrier, 32, from the village of Roaillan near Bordeaux in the southwest.
Forecasters said the storm had moved eastwards away from French territory during Thursday, though some areas were still on alert for flooding.
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