Ron Van Dartel, the Special Envoy for Business and the Reconstruction of Ukraine, stepped down from his post after several controversial remarks he made in a book about Russia and Ukraine became public on Thursday.

As special envoy, Van Dartel was tasked with increasing the role of Dutch business in the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war. He had previously served as Dutch ambassador in several different countries, including Russia, Serbia, Poland, as well as the OSCE.

However, in a book published this month and written by Gerard Dielessen called “If you set the bar lower, you won’t jump higher”, Van Dartel stated that Russians and Ukrainians are one and the same people.

“We must not forget that. That is reality”, he said. In the book, he also said he believed that support for Russian President Vladimir Putin is higher than originally thought.

According to Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Minister Liesje Schreinemacher, Van Dartel made the remarks after he retired as a diplomat but before becoming special envoy, with the remarks only now becoming public.

The minister also accepted Van Dartel’s decision to step down and will start looking for a successor. Van Dartel himself acknowledges that he can no longer credibly continue as special envoy.

Back in October, the Dutch Foreign Ministry organised a conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine, including companies, civil society organisations and government officials. By the end of 2022, Dutch aid to Ukraine had reached €987 million.

(Benedikt Stöckl | EURACTIV.com)

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