Ukraine crisis sending message to Iran it must have nukes: Dutch minister

OTTAWA – The foreign minister of the Netherlands says the Ukraine crisis is sending a message to rogue states such as Iran that they must have nuclear weapons.

Frans Timmermans told an audience in Ottawa that the cause of nuclear non-proliferation has been set back by the Ukraine crisis that has seen Russia “simply steal” part of the country.

He called on Canada, the Netherlands and other countries to step up nuclear non-proliferation efforts, including reaching out to Moscow.

Ukraine eliminated all of its nuclear weapons in a 1994 agreement in exchange for Russia, Britain and the United States respecting the territorial integrity of the country.

Russia has annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula while pro-Russian gunmen are taking control of cities in the country’s east.

Russian president Vladimir Putin is being blamed by the international community for orchestrating the crisis.