THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Netherlands apologized to Russia on Wednesday for the arrest and detention of a Russian diplomat — but the move appears unlikely to be enough to ease growing tensions between the two nations.
The swift apology by Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans aimed to smooth over a spat that has further soured relations already tested by Russia’s seizure last month of a Dutch-flagged Greenpeace ship protesting oil drilling in the Arctic. Russia has charged all 30 people on board with piracy, which carries a maximum 15-year sentence.
Diplomat Dmitry Borodin was arrested Saturday by police in The Hague over what Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich called an ‘‘absolutely contrived’’ allegation of child abuse.
His arrest breached the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations, Timmermans said in a statement Wednesday. ‘‘The Netherlands offers the Russian Federation its apologies.’’
Still, the minister said he understood the action of police who arrested Borodin — a statement unlikely to appease Russian demands for action against the officers. The two nations remain in talks about the situation.
Police have declined to comment. Dutch state broadcaster NOS reported police had traced a car involved in an accident to Borodin’s home, and neighbors told police they were worried for the safety of the children inside.