The Russian offensive in the Donbas leads to the Netherlands stepping up arms supplies to Ukraine. Prime Minister Rutte and Defense Minister Ollongren announced this on Tuesday in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Zelensky. It is also being examined with allies whether ‘additional heavier equipment’ can be sent to Ukraine.
The announcement is striking: in recent weeks, the cabinet has kept its mouth shut about arms supplies. Defense did not want to provide details, so as not to make the Russians any wiser than necessary.
That will remain the case, says a Defense spokesperson when asked. “We want to show that we still support Ukraine as the war has entered a new phase. We will not provide details about numbers of armored vehicles and any additional equipment, nor will we do that afterwards.”
The Dutch ambassador in Moscow had to meet with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday. There he was told that 15 of his employees had to leave the country within two weeks.
At the end of March, the Netherlands expelled seventeen Russian diplomats. “We expected that Russia would now take countermeasures,” said Minister Hoekstra (Foreign Affairs). “Nevertheless, I regret this step.”