Former Forum voor Democratie MP Ralf Dekker took part in a video call earlier this year with high-ranking Russian politicians who are subject to EU and US sanctions, the NRC reported on Wednesday.
Dekker joined a March video conference organised by the Russian Academy of Sciences, attended by members of Vladimir Putin’s ruling party, United Russia. The meeting discussed an alternative European security structure aimed at weakening Nato’s influence, the paper said.
Thierry Baudet, leader of the far right party, has repeatedly denied that the FvD maintains contacts with Moscow. But leaked emails show Baudet appeared on a 2017 list of potential European election observers compiled by a Kremlin-linked operative. The party did not respond to the NRC’s repeated requests for comment.
Dekker, who temporarily served as an MP until April, is a serving provincial councillor and remains head of the FvD’s think tank, previously called Nato a “fantasy land” during a parliamentary debate and downplayed warnings about the Russian threat.
His Russian interlocutors during the video conference included senator Andrej Klimov and deputy speaker Konstantin Kosatsjov, both sanctioned for supporting the war against Ukraine.
The March meeting also featured German far-right MPs from Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), including Petr Bystron, who is under investigation in Germany for alleged Russian election interference. Photos from the event show Dekker onscreen alongside AfD representatives, the NRC said.
Historian and parliamentary expert Bert van den Braak told the paper the revelations strengthen concerns about the FvD’s ties to Moscow.
“Baudet is advancing a Moscow-inspired agenda that undermines democracy and the rule of law,” he said. “This makes the need for further investigation urgent, whether by the AIVD [security service], the public prosecution service or parliament.”
D66 MP Jan Paternotte said the party would ask the government for an explanation. “The FvD has long echoed Kremlin rhetoric in parliament, but this shows direct coordination with people close to Putin. We must get to the bottom of it.”
Undermining national security
Laurens Dassen of Volt called Dekker’s behaviour unacceptable. “A Dutch MP is undermining our national security by video phoning with Putin’s allies. We will be submitting parliamentary questions to demand a swift response from the cabinet,” he said.
In recent months, the NRC said, the FvD has stepped up its anti-Nato rhetoric, describing the alliance as a “shadow government” and questioning Dutch commitments to bolster infrastructure against potential sabotage.
The party currently has three MPs but opinion polls suggest it will increase its support at the general election in October.
