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Politics

Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns After Lying About Putin Meeting

By
and
  • Zijlstra admitted Monday he didn’t meet Russia’s Putin in 2006
  • Departure comes a little over month before local elections
Halbe Zijlstra
Halbe Zijlstra Photographer: Jasper Juinen/Bloomberg

Dutch Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstra quit his post after admitting he lied about attending a 2006 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stepping down the same day he had been scheduled to travel to Moscow to meet his Russian counterpart.

The politician, a member of Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s Liberal VVD party, announced his resignation in The Hague on Tuesday at the start of a debate where members of parliament wanted to question him. Zijlstra said he doesn’t want to burden his position, saying the way he handled the matter was the “biggest mistake” in his career.