Dutch Deputies Suspect Foul Play in Upcoming Association Agreement Referendum
Dutch deputies from the Party of D-66 applied to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands with a request to clarify whether there are signs of Russian influence on the forthcoming referendum on the Association Agreement with Ukraine.
Deputies Shourd Shurdsma and Case Verhoeven made the request because of an article in the British newspaper The Telegraph, which quoted sources reporting on the investigation of the United States concerning the influence of Russia on the European Parties. Verhoeven posted the details on his Twitter page.
"Is there any evidence in your field of view that Russia can influence a forthcoming referendum on the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU in any way, including financially?” the request stated.
The deputies also want to confirm whether the arguments of the organizers of the referendum would be very similar to the statements of Russian propaganda. It is vital that they learn what the government's response to this publication will be.
Citing its own sources, the Telegraph reported that the Director of US National Intelligence Service James Klepper had received instructions from US Congress to launch an investigation into Russian influence on European political movements in the past 10 years.
In the previous dossier of Russian influence in Europe, indicators were seen in France, the Netherlands, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic. In the current issue the exact parties involved were not reported.