"Today Dutch business is more persistent in demanding the [Dutch] government and the European Union compensate for their losses. Moreover, leading Dutch companies blame the government more frequently for supporting their competitors on the Russian market by backing the EU sanctions," Cherevko told RIA Novosti in an interview.
"Many Dutch companies actively advocate a normalization of relations with Russia to further develop their business," Cherevko continued, adding that the "companies are still viewing Russia as a big promising market".
"The total loss of the Dutch agricultural producers… amounted to 1.5 billion euros [$1.87 billion], which is a very hard blow for the Dutch agricultural sector," Cherevko explained.
The European Union, alongside the United States and its other allies, has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia accusing it of meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs. The sanctions target Russia's banking, defense and energy sectors, as well as certain individuals.