Netherlands walks out of IMF meeting before Russian minister’s address
The Netherlands and several other countries left an IMF meeting ahead of an address by Russia’s finance minister, while Dutch Finance Minister Eelco Heinen cancelled a separate meeting over the expected presence of sanctioned Russians.
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The Netherlands walked out of an International Monetary Fund meeting when Russia’s finance minister was due to address delegates, the Dutch Finance Ministry told the ANP news agency. Several other countries also left, according to the report [1].
The walkout came as Russian representatives attended an IMF meeting for the first time since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Reuters, as cited by Nieuws.nl, reported that Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania also left.
Dutch Finance Minister Eelco Heinen also cancelled a separate meeting on the sidelines of the IMF’s annual gathering because sanctioned Russians were expected to attend. “We will not sit at the table with people sanctioned by Europe and the US. This would normalise the relationship. And what is happening now is not normal,” he said [1].
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