“We have to help Ukraine where we can, but the question now is which things the Defense can do without,” says D66 MP Sjoerd Sjoerdsma. Defense would now have a list ready with goods that can be sent to Ukraine. It would include helmets, vests and metal detectors for mines. The Netherlands would also be prepared to provide assistance in countering Russian cyber attacks in Ukraine. It is unclear whether weapons are also on the Defense list.
In any case, Clang of arms is not preferred by Sjoerdsma. According to the D66, it is more important that the European Union puts ‘very heavy sanctions against Russia’ on the table. He is thinking of stricter economic sanctions, such as increasing travel restrictions for influential Russian oligarchs. “There are already sanctions in place, but there is really still room for improvement. With heavy sanctions you can hit Putin and his immediate environment.”
The CDA is also reticent about Dutch arms supplies. “For a number of years, the Netherlands no longer participates in the highest violence spectrum, there is simply not much to gain from us at the moment,” says CDA MP Derk Boswijk. He also points to the possibility of imposing heavier sanctions. CDA member Agnes Mulder also said earlier that the Netherlands should not immediately proceed to arms deliveries. Coalition partner VVD was in favor of that.
human rights
CDA minister Wopke Hoekstra (Foreign Affairs) – who will be visiting Ukraine with Prime Minister Rutte on Tuesday and Wednesday – said last Friday that he would look ‘benevolently’ at a possible NATO request for defensive military support. The rules for arms exports do apply, Hoekstra emphasized. For example, Dutch weapons may not be used for ‘large-scale human rights violations’.
The House of Representatives will debate the situation in Ukraine on Thursday. Only then is a decision expected on Dutch aid to the country.
Rutte and Hoekstra will meet with Ukrainian President Zelensky on Wednesday morning. That appointment would first be possible on Tuesday, but according to The Hague sources, the appointment was moved because other foreign visitors were given priority. For example, British Prime Minister Johnson is in Kiev, who previously sent anti-tank weapons to Ukraine. Rutte and Hoekstra already spoke with Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmigal on Tuesday evening.