The Dutch will provide Ukraine with two Patriot missile launchers, an undisclosed number of missiles, and training for Ukrainian soldiers to operate the air defence equipment, Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren and Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra wrote in a letter to the lower house of parliament.
The military support is part of a broader aid package, for which the government has earmarked €2.5 billion for the year.
“The need to intensify military support to Ukraine was already evident, the urgency is now greater than ever,” both ministers said in the letter.
Meanwhile, Western defence ministers met for the eighth time in the US-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Ramstein on Friday.
During the meeting, Ollongren announced that the Netherlands purchased 100 vehicles with anti-aircraft guns in cooperation with the Czech Republic.
On supplying Patriot air defence systems, the Netherlands is “participating in a cooperation project with the US and Germany” to supply Ukraine, including with “ammunition, training and parts for maintenance,” Ollongren also said during the meeting.
Together with “international partners”, the Netherlands plans to focus on increasing military support, particularly by replenishing its own national stocks to “bring operational readiness up to standard”, Ollongren said after Western allies said they would also be focusing on accelerating the replacement of equipment they supply to Ukraine.
“With this announcement, the Netherlands can play an international driving role,” the letter sent to parliament also reads.
(Sofia Stuart Leeson | EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
