At dawn on Thursday, 24th February 2022, eastern Europe was plunged into a war that had been brewing for weeks. Russia launched a military attack on its neighbour Ukraine, and the reactions of world leaders have come fast.
Among the first to speak up were King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima. In a statement released through Twitter in both Dutch and English, the Royals expressed their support for Ukrainians.
The tweet reads: “Our hearts go out to the people of Ukraine and everyone affected by the violence. Our thoughts are very much with the people there and with the Ukrainian community in the Netherlands, who will be anxious about the situation of their families and friends”.
The Ukrainian community in the Netherlands is currently at about 10 thousand, according to the Ukrainian Embassy’s website. Numbers are expected to increase as the conflict grows more intense.
Another swift response came from King Felipe, who was supposed to open ArCo Madrid, a contemporary art fair, but instead had to cancel the engagement and send Queen Letizia alone as he presided over an emergency Security Council.
At roughly 7am Kiev time artillery was heard in the distance, and warning sirens resounded through the streets of the Ukrainian capital as Russian tanks entered the country.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had been escalating his rhetoric abut Ukraine for weeks, and hopes for a diplomatic and peaceful resolution of the tensions quickly vanished when Mr Putin made a speech declaring Ukraine “a historical and moral part of Russia”.
NATO, the EU and other international organisations have responded with sanctions, which have been added to other measures adopted by individual countries. Strong words were also issued by the UN.
