The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Kaspar Veldkamp, has arrived in Lviv.

According to "European Truth", this was reported by the publication NOELreports on X.

The outlet shared a photo of the minister laying flowers at the Mars Field.

"He paid tribute to the memory of fallen Ukrainian defenders and intends to participate in the conference, hold working meetings, and discuss Ukraine's future European integration", – the message states.

As reported by Dutch media, the Netherlands is assisting Ukraine in its process of joining the European Union. A conference will take place in Lviv on Saturday, involving Minister Kaspar Veldkamp as well.

The lower house of parliament has appealed to the government for assistance to the Ukrainian administration in the challenging EU accession process. To become a member of the EU, a candidate country must meet the so-called Copenhagen criteria.

Delegates from six Dutch ministries have arrived in Lviv to discuss issues of the rule of law, agriculture, energy, and social matters.

The conference in Lviv will be held annually, alternating between Ukraine and the Netherlands. Veldkamp will also speak in Lviv alongside Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olha Stefanishyna.

It is worth noting that the Cabinet has approved a plan for Ukraine to implement the recommendations of the European Commission outlined in the 2024 candidate countries' progress report. 

Ukraine is looking forward to the opening of the first clusters in negotiations regarding EU membership. The European Commission has announced ambitious plans to open three negotiation clusters before the end of the Polish presidency in June 2025. However, this step is being blocked by Hungary, which is raising new demands concerning the rights of the Hungarian minority.