Dutch king apologizes for colonial killings in Indonesia

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands apologized Tuesday for his country's aggression during its colonial rule of Indonesia and formally recognized the Southeast Asian country's independence date, in his first state visit to the former Dutch colony.

The king's apology was conveyed after he and Queen Maxima were hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his wife, Iriana, at an official ceremony in the ornate colonial-style presidential palace in Bogor, just outside the capital, Jakarta.

The Netherlands did not initially apologize for its 350 years of colonial rule and aggression until 2013, when the Dutch ambassador expressed remorse for a series of massacres carried out by the Dutch military to crush resistance against colonial rule in Java and Sulawesi islands after Indonesia's 1945 declaration of independence. That apology came only after the victims' widows took the Dutch government to court.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, walks with King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands as they inspect the honor guard during the welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia Tuesday, March 10, 2020. (Adek BerryPool Photo via AP)

"In line with the previous statement by my government, I would like to express my regret and apologize here for the excessive violence on the part of the Dutch in those years," the king said Tuesday at a joint news conference with Widodo. “I do so with full awareness that the pain and sorrow of the affected families will be felt for generations.”

Indonesia declared its independence from Dutch colonial rule on Aug. 17, 1945, but the Netherlands refused to acknowledge it and fought unsuccessfully to maintain control of the lucrative Asian outpost. It finally recognized the country as an independent nation in December 1949.

Indonesian authorities claim some 40,000 people were killed during the fighting, while most Dutch historians estimate the dead at about 1,500.

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, center left, is welcomed by Indonesian President Joko Widodo, center right, on his arrival at the presidential palace in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. (Adi WedaPool Photo via AP)

A 1968 Dutch report acknowledged “violent excesses” in Indonesia but argued that Dutch troops were conducting a “police action” often incited by guerrilla warfare and terror attacks. The Dutch government has never prosecuted any soldiers for the killings despite a U.N. report condemning the attacks as “deliberate and ruthless” as early as 1948.

The 2013 apology by the Dutch ambassador cleared the way for the biggest-ever Dutch trade mission to Indonesia in November 2013, led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Subsequent apologies were made by Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders in 2016 and Rutte late last year during visits in Indonesia. But unresolved demands from those affected by past war crimes still loom large over the monarch's current visit.

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, left, walks with his wife Queen Maxima during their visit at a Dutch war cemetery in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. The Dutch royal couple are currently on on a five-day visit in the country. (AP PhotoDita Alangkara)

"On Aug. 17, it will be 75 years since Indonesia declared its proclamation, claiming its place among free and independent countries," the king said Tuesday. "Today, the Dutch government explicitly acknowledged it both politically and morally."

The four-day state visit by the royal couple, who arrived in Jakarta on Monday, aims to deepen economic ties with Indonesia. It's the first trip to Indonesia for the king since he ascended the throne in 2013, and the fourth for the queen, whose previous trips were part of her role as U.N. Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development.

The king and queen started their busy day Tuesday by laying a wreath at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery to honor Indonesia's war dead, especially those who fell during the War of Independence. In the afternoon, the royal couple laid a wreath at Menteng Pulo Cemetery, the resting place of almost 4,300 Dutch soldiers who died during World War II and the independence war.

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, left, walks with his wife Queen Maxima, center, during their visit at a Dutch war cemetery in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. The Dutch royal couple are currently on on a five-day visit in the country. (AP PhotoDita Alangkara)

The king and Widodo witnessed the signing of agreements for economic partnership in the areas of agriculture, health care, coastal protection and the maritime industry.

Under the Widodo administration, ties between the two countries have strengthened significantly.

"We certainly cannot erase our history, but we can learn from the past," Widodo said. "We try to learn from history to strengthen our commitment to build an equal relationship that respects and benefits each other."

King Willem-Alexander, center, and Queen Maxima, left, of the Netherlands, accompanied by Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Bok, right, observe a moment of silence as during their visit at a Dutch war cemetery in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. The Dutch royal couple are currently on on a five-day visit in the country. (AP PhotoDita Alangkara)

Widodo’s visit to the Netherlands in 2016 was the first by an Indonesian leader since Abdurraham Wahid in 2000. In 2010, then-President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono canceled a visit at the last minute amid moves by a separatist group to have him arrested for alleged human rights violations.

The Dutch royal couple is scheduled to meet the Sultan of Yogyakarta on Wednesday. On Thursday, the king and queen will visit Lake Toba in North Sumatra province, one of Indonesia's "10 new Balis," an ambitious plan to boost tourism and diversify Southeast Asia's largest economy. They will also visit Sebangau National Park on Borneo island on Thursday.

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands waves at reporters during a visit at a Dutch war cemetery in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Maxima are currently on on a five-day visit in the country. (AP PhotoDita Alangkara)

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, center left, is welcomed by Indonesian President Joko Widodo, center right, on his arrival at the presidential palace in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. (Adi WedaPool Photo via AP)

King Willem-Alexander, right, and Queen Maxima, second right, of the Netherlands with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his wife Iriana pose in front of Prince Diponegoro keris, or dagger, that has just been returned by the Dutch government at the presidential palace in Bogor, West Java , Indonesia, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. (AP PhotoAchmad Ibrahim, Pool)

Netherlands' King Willem-Alexander, center left, and Queen Maxima, left, share a light moment with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his wife Iriana during their meeting at the presidential palace in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. (AP PhotoAchmad Ibrahim, Pool)

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, right, talks with King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands during a meeting at the presidential palace in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. (AP PhotoAchmad Ibrahim, Pool)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado discussed her country's future with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, even though he has dismissed her credibility to take over after an audacious U.S. military raid captured then-President Nicolás Maduro.

Trump has raised doubts about his stated commitment to backing democratic rule in Venezuela and signaled his willingness to work with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who was Maduro’s No. 2. Along with others in the deposed leader’s inner circle, Rodríguez remains in charge of day-to-day government operations and was set to deliver her first state of the union speech Thursday.

In endorsing Rodríguez so far, Trump has sidelined Machado, who has long been a face of resistance in Venezuela. She also had sought to cultivate relationships with Trump and key administration voices like Secretary of State Marco Rubio among the American right wing in a gamble to ally herself with the U.S. government.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had been looking forward to the lunchtime meeting with Machado and called her “a remarkable and brave voice” for the people of Venezuela. But Leavitt also said Trump's opinion of Machado had not changed, calling it "a realistic assessment."

Trump has said it would be difficult for Machado to lead because she “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.” Her party is widely believed to have won 2024 elections rejected by Maduro.

Leavitt went on to say that Trump supported new Venezuelan elections “when the time is right” but did not say when he thought that might be.

Leavitt said Machado sought the face-to-face meeting without setting expectations for what would occur. Machado previously offered to share with Trump the Nobel Peace Prize she won last year, an honor he has coveted.

“I don’t think he needs to hear anything from Ms. Machado," the press secretary said, other than to have a ”frank and positive discussion about what’s taking place in Venezuela.”

Machado spent about two and a half hours at the White House but left without answering questions on whether she'd offered to give her Nobel prize to Trump, saying only “gracias."

After her White House stop, Machado plans to have a meeting at the Senate. Her Washington visit began after U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says had ties to Venezuela.

It is part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil after U.S. forces seized Maduro and his wife at a heavily guarded compound in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas and brought them to New York to stand trial on drug trafficking charges.

Leavitt said Venezuela's interim authorities have been fully cooperating with the Trump administration and that Rodríguez's government said it planned to release more prisoners detained under Maduro. Among those released were five Americans this week.

Rodríguez has adopted a less strident position toward Trump then she did immediately after Maduro's ouster, suggesting that she can make the Republican administration's “America First” policies toward the Western Hemisphere, work for Venezuela — at least for now.

Trump said Wednesday that he had a “great conversation” with Rodríguez, their first since Maduro was ousted.

“We had a call, a long call. We discussed a lot of things,” Trump said during an Oval Office bill signing. “And I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela.”

Even before indicating the willingness to work with Venezuela's interim government, Trump was quick to snub Machado. Just hours after Maduro's capture, Trump said of Machado that “it would be very tough for her to be the leader.”

Machado has steered a careful course to avoid offending Trump, notably after winning the peace prize. She has since thanked Trump, though her offer to share the honor with him was rejected by the Nobel Institute.

Machado’s whereabouts have been largely unknown since she went into hiding early last year after being briefly detained in Caracas. She briefly reappeared in Oslo, Norway, in December after her daughter received the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf.

The industrial engineer and daughter of a steel magnate began challenging the ruling party in 2004, when the nongovernmental organization she co-founded, Súmate, promoted a referendum to recall then-President Hugo Chávez. The initiative failed, and Machado and other Súmate executives were charged with conspiracy.

A year later, she drew the anger of Chávez and his allies again for traveling to Washington to meet President George W. Bush. A photo showing her shaking hands with Bush in the Oval Office lives in the collective memory. Chávez considered Bush an adversary.

Almost two decades later, she marshaled millions of Venezuelans to reject Chávez’s successor, Maduro, for another term in the 2024 election. But ruling party-loyal electoral authorities declared him the winner despite ample credible evidence to the contrary. Ensuing anti-government protests ended in a brutal crackdown by state security forces.

Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela, and Janetsky from Mexico City. AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gestures to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado waves to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado smiles on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado waves to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

FILE - U.S. President George Bush, right, meets with Maria Corina Machado, executive director of Sumate, a non-governmental organization that defends Venezuelan citizens' political rights, in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, May 31, 2005. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

FILE - Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures to supporters during a protest against President Nicolas Maduro the day before his inauguration for a third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, file)