News item | 16-02-2024 | 09:55
The Netherlands and NATO allies are determined to continue supporting Ukraine. With as many as it takes, and for as long as it takes, to defeat Russia. At the same time, NATO has never been as united as it is today in 30 years. Structural additional investments and more cooperation will remain necessary in the coming years to strengthen the alliance. Minister Kajsa Ollongren said this yesterday at the meeting of NATO Defense Ministers in Brussels.
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During the 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius, the allies made agreements in principle to support Ukraine and further strengthen the alliance now that the Russian threat has increased significantly. Today, NATO Defense Ministers further fleshed out some of those agreements. For example, the Netherlands will work together with the United Kingdom, Latvia and Ukraine, among others, in a new drone coalition. This coalition must ensure that Ukraine remains one step ahead of Russia in terms of drone technology on the battlefield.
In addition, the minister signed an agreement with 13 other colleagues – including the United States and Germany – for a new air defense coalition. The aim is to provide Ukraine with a strong and modern air defense.
Both coalitions help Ukraine continue to resist Russian aggression in the short and long term. And at the same time help the country build a modern and effective armed forces. The aim is that Ukraine will be able to credibly deter future threats in the future.
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Strengthening NATO
During the meeting of NATO defense ministers, further steps were also taken to strengthen the alliance. For example, the Netherlands signed two declarations of intent for multinational demand bundling for ammunition and missiles. Within this initiative, the partners involved work together with the industry to purchase more ammunition and missiles faster. These proposals are now being further developed.
One of the points discussed was how to work with industry to rapidly strengthen NATO’s capabilities in the short and medium term. The minister emphasized the importance of cooperation and coordination with the EU, a proposal widely supported within NATO. An example of this is the production of American Patriot anti-aircraft missiles in Europe. This is possible because Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain are pooling their needs and will jointly purchase 1,000 rockets that will be produced under license.
2% standard
Part of making NATO future-proof is the agreement that all allies spend at least 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) on Defense. The so-called ‘Defence Investment Pledge’. During the meeting, the significant increase of all allies was discussed jointly. The Netherlands will invest 1.95% of GDP in Defense this year. To reach 2% after 2025, an additional €2 billion is structurally needed.
Sweden
The Swedish Minister of Defense was present as a guest in Brussels. Ollongren spoke out in favor of Sweden’s early accession to the NATO alliance. Now that Turkey has also formally approved its accession, the full ratification procedure will be completed as quickly as possible as far as the minister is concerned. Sweden’s accession makes the alliance stronger and Europe safer.
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Collaborations
On the margins of the NATO meeting, the strategic partnership and military cooperation with France and the United Kingdom were also reaffirmed. To this end, the minister signed a declaration of intent with the French Minister of Defense Sébastian Lecornu, including the expansion of cybersecurity.
Minister Ollongren signed the renewed Joint Vision Statement with her British colleague Grant Shapps. The Netherlands has a long history of defense cooperation with France and the United Kingdom. Both agreements contain concrete ambitions and goals to further strengthen this cooperation in the coming years at strategic, operational and tactical levels and thus contribute to transatlantic and European security.