The situation in Ukraine has been very tense since a conflict over the country’s possible NATO membership. Russia is strongly against this, and believes that the alliance is asserting itself too much in eastern Europe. Meanwhile, the European Union and the United States, among others, are very concerned about the large number of Russian military personnel, including weapons, that have gathered along the borders of Ukraine. Rutte has called the situation “very serious”.
Ukraine has asked for military resources and money to defend itself against a possible attack. In addition, the country is concerned about cyber attacks from Russia. The Netherlands has already indicated that it is prepared to supply weapons with which Ukraine can defend itself. It is not yet entirely clear, however, what exactly that contribution will look like. With his visit, Rutte wants to show that the West is “visibly involved”, but said he does not expect that he will be able to make any commitments during his visit this week.
In the past week, concerns about the security situation in the country have increased further. The British and Americans have already recalled relatives of embassy staff. For the time being, the Netherlands sees no reason to remove people. However, embassy staff who feel unsafe may leave the country, Hoekstra said earlier.
In recent days, the cabinet has been in regular contact with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, among others. Also on the agenda are a meeting with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and talks with representatives from the business community. There are also visits in the context of MH17, including a visit to the Joint Investigation Team.
After the consultations in Ukraine, Rutte and Hoekstra will travel to neighboring Moldova on Wednesday. There they meet with President Maia Sandu and Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița. There, too, the increased tensions between Ukraine and Russia are on the agenda, as are “our economic cooperation, energy, strengthening the rule of law”, Rutte announced.