Dutch Foreign Minister resigns

The Netherlands' foreign minister Halbe Zijlstra has resigned after only four months in the job.

Zijlstra quit after he admitted lying about overhearing Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

Several media reports stated that in 2016 Zijlstra alleged Putin had expressed ambitions to create a "Greater Russia." He said that he heard the comments from the Russian leader in 2006 while he worked as an employee for energy group Shell.

The minister announced his resignation in the Dutch Parliament on Tuesday.

Zijlstra said that "the Netherlands deserves a minister who is above any doubt."

He acknowledged that his credibility had been damaged by the ongoing scandal to such an extent that his position had become untenable, according to the reports.

The Dutch foreign minister's resignation comes a day before his scheduled visit to Russia, where he was expected to meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.