The Kingdom of the Netherlands is the only Western state, a member of the European Union, which has tense relations with Russia comparable to Polish-Russian ones after 2010. They have collapsed because of air disasters on the Russian controlled territories. Although the way they were played by politicians of both countries in a different manner, the final results were similar – close to zero. In the years 2011–2014, bilateral relations were going well, and their climax was reached during the winter Olympics in Sochi. The annexation of Crimea in 2014 worsened them. The Netherlands joined the sanctions announced against Russia. The collapse of the relations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands with Russia took place at the end of May 2018. It was the result of the shooting down of the Malaysia Airlines passenger aircraft (code: MH-17) over the Donetsk region on its route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur route. It caused the death of 298 people on the board. The international investigation team found Russia guilty of this barbarian act. As a result of the trial, the Dutch courts ruled the fault of three people and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
Diplomatic relations of the Netherlands with Ukraine were established in 1992. Since the Russian invasion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the policy of supporting Ukrainians in the fight against the invader has been consistent. The Dutch government favors a hard approach to Russia. The Netherlands participates in the economic sanctions of the European Union towards this country. The Dutch government offers Ukraine significant humanitarian, military and financial assistance. In 2024 it will reach an amount of around 2 billion Euro. The resignation of the government of Prime Minister Mark Rutte in September 2023 will not change the principles of foreign policy of the state, regardless of the composition of a new cabinet, almost all parties still want to continue the support of Ukraine.