Dutch florists continue to sell flowers to Russia arguing that “tulips make people happy”.
After a year of full-scale war in Ukraine, Dutch florists continue to import flowers to Russia, as this product is not subject to EU sanctions, and producers and exporters have no particular moral objections, according to the NU publication.
“Tulips make people happy,” said Arjan Smit, representative of the Dutch company Smit Flowers. According to him, the entire tulip sector of the Netherlands sold about 6% of these flowers to the Russian Federation every year, almost all of them by March 8.
“There will still be Russians who need flowers. Every euro spent on flowers can no longer be spent on tanks,” says a peony grower from Gelderland.
Tags: russia ukraine war russian weapons ukraine front lines
![NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, announcing allied troops, warplanes and naval support will follow a peace agreement with Russia. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}](https://empr.media/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/marc.png)
![Aftermath of Russian strikes on Sumy region railway infrastructure and the “Wagon of Invincibility” shelter burned and damaged by drone attack. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}](https://empr.media/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/ses-1-300x172.png)
![NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, announcing allied troops, warplanes and naval support will follow a peace agreement with Russia. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}](https://empr.media/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/marc-300x156.png)
