The House of Representatives of the Netherlands, the lower house of the parliament, has recognized the Holodomor as a genocide against the Ukrainian people, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 7.
The Holodomor, a man-made famine that took place between 1932-33, occurred during Joseph Stalin's reign over the Soviet Union and caused an estimated 3.5 to 5 million Ukrainian deaths.
The Ukrainian government has called on the international community to recognize it as a genocide.
"Calling things by their proper name is the key to justice and to preventing the recurrence of these horrific crimes," Zelensky tweeted, thanking the Netherlands for "strong and multifaceted" support of Ukraine.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also commented on the Dutch parliament's decision, calling it "an important step in establishing historical truth."
"I am grateful to the Netherlands for taking a firm stance on the need for accountability for past and present atrocities," he added.
In late June, Kuleba reported that 27 countries had already recognized the Holodomor as a genocide against Ukrainians. The Netherlands has become the 28th nation to take this step.
