Zelensky meets Dutch far-right leader Wilders in Italy

Rome: President Volodymyr Zelensky met Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders on the sidelines of the Cernobbio Forum in Italy on Sept. 7.

Wilders became the leader of the biggest party in the Netherlands following the Dutch elections in November 2023, when his political party, the Party for Freedom (PVV), secured 37 of the 150 seats in parliament.

Although he does not hold an official position in the cabinet of the Netherlands’ four-party ruling coalition, Wilders is an influential political player and the country’s longest-serving MP.

Zelensky “thanked the Netherlands and the entire Dutch people for the comprehensive support of Ukraine: defense, financial, and humanitarian,” and noted “the significant contribution of the Netherlands to the strengthening of Ukrainian air defense,” the Presidential Office said.

Zelensky also discussed the battlefield situation and Ukraine’s peace formula with Wilders, the Presidential Office said.

Wilders described the meeting as a “good conversation,” and said the two discussed a range of issues, including “corruption in Ukraine, the chance of peace and the conditions for it, the Nord Stream issue, and the Ukrainian men who stay in the Netherlands instead of helping in Ukraine.”

The Dutch politician has voiced opposition in the past to sending financial support and fighter jets to Kyiv, arguing they should be used for domestic needs.

Wilders also spoke out against Ukrainian refugees, saying in February that they were coming to the Netherlands for “free housing, free healthcare, and our jobs.”

Zelensky also met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the sidelines of the event.