Ukrainian president, Dutch PM discuss defense aid, sanctions on Russia

KIEV, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and visiting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday discussed defense aid for Kiev and new sanctions on Russia.

At the talks, Zelensky thanked the Netherlands for the decision to transfer Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine and the participation in the "tank coalition," the presidential press service reported.

The Netherlands together with Germany and Denmark are preparing to hand over about 100 Leopard tanks to Ukraine, Zelensky informed.

This year, the Netherlands allocated 2.5 billion euros (about 2.67 billion U.S. dollars) for helping Ukraine in the military, financial, humanitarian, and legal spheres, he added.

Zelensky has called for imposing new sanctions on Moscow over the Russia-Ukraine conflict, including restrictive measures against the nuclear sphere, the missile industry, the IT sector, and all industries and enterprises that contribute to the implementation of the Russian missile program or the production of drones.

For his part, Rutte said that his country stands ready not only to supply tanks and air defense systems to Ukraine, but also to provide training and exercises for the Ukrainian military.

Rutte also announced that the International Center for the Investigation of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine will be established in the Netherlands to collect evidence of crimes.

Rutte arrived in Kiev earlier in the day for his second visit since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict nearly one year ago.