While Prime Minister Dick Schoof Schoof in Paris with European government leaders about a possible peace force in Ukraine, the fault lines in his coalition became painfully clear.
During a speech in the Maatstricht Museum, Minister of Defense Ruben Brekelmans (VVD) argued for extra support for Ukraine, “a scoop on top” the billions that the Netherlands has already given. “The stronger Ukraine is on the battlefield, the greater the chance of a fair and sustainable peace agreement,” said Brekelmans.
While the Minister of Defense still had to start his speech, PVV leader Geert Wilders had all the carpet with the Ukraine policy.
“The PVV is against sending Dutch soldiers to Ukraine,” Wilders tweeted. “The Netherlands is already in many missions and we have to protect our own territory.”
Both Brekelmans and Schoof had previously stated that he wanted to look seriously at a possible Dutch contribution to a European peace mission, depending on the American back cover and the mandate.
Next Tuesday, the House of Representatives will debate about the war in Ukraine, and the coalition unit has already disappeared in advance.
‘No coalition issue’
In the Lower House, coalitionmates VVD and NSC tried to bypass a collision with Wilders about Ukraine. Ukraine, spokesmen said against it Adis not a ‘coalition issue’, and also with a counter voice of the PVV a majority in the Lower House before a mission. That also happened during the Rutte cabinet (2010-2012) when Wilders-then tolerant partner-did not want to agree with a new mission to Afghanistan. With the support of the opposition, the mission arrived.
GL-PvdA party leader Timmermans does not want to support mission to Ukraine if PVV does not
But according to Frans Timmermans, party leader of GroenLinks-PvdA, that is not a passable road: if the PVV rejects a cabinet proposal for a mission, then GroenLinks-PvdA will also vote against the cabinet. “We assume that VVD and NSC will also not accept that a coalition partner deliberately undermines Dutch safety.”
“This is not about a mission in a country on the other side of the world but about our own safety,” says Timmermans.
Well considered, Ukraine had been a ticking time bomb under the cabinet for some time. Especially for the VVD, continuing the support to the Insentesky government was a key point in the negotiations. Wilders agreed with the inclusion of a passage about this in the outline agreement, but in his own statements regularly renounced it. “Extra money for the wallet instead of even more money for climate and Ukraine,” PVV leader tweeted last month.
Now that the Ukraine file has gained momentum and the Trump government is destroying its hands from Europe, the fundamental contradictions within the coalition can no longer be concealed. Support for Ukraine remains a fundamental issue for VVD and NSC. In the meantime, both parties are trying to maintain the traditional transatlantic bond as good and bad when it comes.
Make Nato Great Again
Brekelmans had that message on Monday during a speech in the Maastricht Museum. Brekelmans also wants European countries to look together at boosting defense equipment, he wants Brussels to give more room to defense by, for example, having nitrogen rules celebrate and he wants to maintain the self -defense capacities of NATO while supporting Ukraine. “To speak in American words:”Make Nato Great Again“.”
The audience couldn’t laugh about it. They were worried, precisely because of American words, the public questions showed afterwards. Last weekend the government of US President Donald Trump presented a “peace plan” for Ukraine, which says, among other things, that Ukraine.
‘Glass is half full’
Yet the minister’s conclusion was that the glass is ‘half full’ in terms of the defense situation of Ukraine and Europe. He also put into perspective that the US and Russia negotiate on Tuesday without being able to sit at the table. Brekelmans ‘holds’ a statement by Minister of US Minister of Foreign Affairs Marco Rubio, who had said that Europe and Ukraine would participate in ‘real negotiations’. At least if Europe invests in Defense, says Brekelmans.
That is why he wants Europe to “put effectiveness first” – so starting quickly with placing orders and concluding contracts with the arms industry.
Eurobonds for Defense?
The Coalition Agreement agrees to reduce the support of Ukraine in the coming years. Where extra money has to be made is unclear. One of the ideas that has been around for years is the introduction of Eurobonds, joint European loans at favorable rates. The VVD member Brekelmans still finds that a bad idea. “An important lesson from earlier wars is that you can only keep your fighting power up to date if there is a strong economy behind it,” said Brekelmans. “We are worried about the government debt in other European countries.” According to the Minister of Defense, “we have to make enormous speed, but also keep our economy and public finances whole”.
It shows that the government is currently carefully handling with major defense issues – Radical measures does not (yet) consider Brekelmans. That was also apparent when Brekelmans revolved around the question of whether Dutch soldiers could be potentially part of a peace force as a buffer between Russia and Ukraine. “You must have a clear mandate and backrest from the international community,” said the minister. The British Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised his troops on Sunday. According to Brekelmans, Starmer was able to do that “because the British [militair] be larger than we are. We are a puzzle piece in the whole. ”
Brekelmans also pointed out that his own coalition is not in line. “The British have a single party government. That is different than when you are in a coalition and have to agree to the House of Representatives, we have debates about it. ”
To what extent the coalition, and specifically the PVV and BBB, is in the way of making decisive Ukraine policy, it will turn out on Tuesday during the debate. On Tuesday, Timmermans plans to question Schoof and his ministers about how they relate to Wilders’ ‘Njet’.
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