The Netherlands has allocated an additional EUR1 billion in military aid and EUR400 million for reconstruction to Ukraine in addition to the commitments under the bilateral security agreement, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after a phone conversation with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
“In a telephone conversation, Prime Minister Mark Rutte has just announced that the Netherlands has allocated another EUR 1 billion for military assistance to Ukraine and EUR 400 million for reconstruction. This is in addition to the obligations under our bilateral security agreement,” Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram channel.
The Head of State expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister and all the people of the Netherlands.
According to him, during the conversation, they also discussed joint work with partners to accelerate the supply of artillery shells, ammunition and air defense systems.
” I thanked him for the effective Justice for Ukraine conference in The Hague and the launch of the Register of Damages as a result of it. He spoke about the preparations for the Peace Summit in Switzerland and invited the Netherlands to join. We also discussed the necessary efforts to ensure that this event is supported by as many countries as possible,” Zelenskyy wrote.
For his part, Rutte said that his country would provide Ukraine with additional military assistance worth EUR1 billion in 2024 and allocate EUR3 billion in defense support for 2025.
“The Netherlands will provide an additional EUR1 billion in military support this year. This is in addition to the EUR2 billion already approved by the authorities. We have also decided that we will allocate EUR3 billion for military support for the next year,” Rutte wrote on social network X.
In addition, according to the Prime Minister, the Netherlands is using EUR400 million “to support the Ukrainian economy and repair vital energy infrastructure.”
Rutte reminded that the Netherlands continues to make efforts to deliver more ammunition and air defense equipment to Ukraine faster, together with international partners, including Denmark and the Czech Republic.
In early March, the Netherlands signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement with Ukraine. According to Rutte, his country will provide Ukraine with assistance and support “across the entire spectrum of defense cooperation, as well as in the areas of reconstruction, sanctions support, and the fight for justice.”
The Netherlands is allocating more than 150 million euros for the purchase of air-to-ground ammunition for Ukrainian F-16 aircraft and more than 200 million euros for the purchase of drones.
According to the Dutch Ministry of Defense, the ammunition will be purchased directly from the industry. Defense Minister Keesa Ollongren announced this after yesterday’s meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine’s Defense.
In addition, the Netherlands is sending (out of the previously promised) F-16 fighter jets to Romania. The planes will be used in a training center for Ukrainian and Romanian pilots. This includes not only the aircraft themselves, but also all related spare parts and ammunition.
The Netherlands leads the Ramstein Air Force coalition along with Denmark and the United States. 18 Dutch F-16s have been made available for training in Romania. The remaining 24 Dutch F-16s are intended for delivery to Ukraine. Some of them are currently being prepared in coordination with coalition partners.
The Ministry of Defense also informed that the Netherlands is allocating more than 200 million euros for the purchase of drones. It is planned to purchase a significant number of ISR (Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance) drones and transfer them to Ukraine, which will be done in coordination with other partners and the Ukrainian armed forces.
“These drones are already in use and have proven themselves on the battlefield,” said Minister Ollongren.
The Netherlands intends to allocate EUR 122 million in military aid to Ukraine, which will be spent on ammunition, weapons and cybersecurity, the press service of the country’s government reported.
In particular, EUR 87 million will be allocated to Ukraine for the purchase of artillery shells. The Netherlands will also transfer EUR 25 million to the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU) for the purchase of weapons.
In addition, the Dutch government will allocate another EUR 10 million to improve Ukraine’s cybersecurity.
“The donations are the result of consultations of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), which includes 50 partner countries. They help Ukraine purchase equipment and resources to defend itself against Russia,” the government said in a statement.
According to Dutch Defense Minister Keesa Ollongren, “it is important to support Ukraine in the long term.”
“Now it is important to show that we are helping Ukraine. They are fighting for their country and for the values we share: self-determination, freedom, equality, human rights,” she said.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has announced the creation of the Ukraine Capacity Development Fund (UCDF) to provide technical assistance with a budget of $65 million over five years, and the Netherlands, Japan, Lithuania and Slovakia have become its first contributors for a total of $14.5 million.
“We are looking for $65 million over five years to expand (Ukraine’s) capacity development in the priority sectors supported by the IMF program. I am pleased to announce that donors have already pledged contributions of approximately $14.5 million. I am confident in your support for this initiative,” Georgieva said after a ministerial roundtable on Ukraine, which took place as part of the annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank, which ended on Sunday in Marrakech.
It is specified that the Netherlands’ contribution to the fund amounted to $7 million.
The official event to launch the fund on the sidelines of the IMF and WB meetings was attended by IMF First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath, Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko, NBU Governor Andriy Pyshnyi and his deputy Sergii Nikolaychuk, as well as representatives of the four countries.
“These contributions will support the efforts of the Ukrainian authorities to stabilize macroeconomic conditions and restore the post-war economy while implementing comprehensive reforms that are consistent with Ukraine’s EU accession goals,” the IMF said in a statement announcing the creation of the UCDF.
Pyshny thanked the IMF for launching the new fund. He emphasized the importance of international financial assistance for Ukraine, reforming the Ukrainian economy, and strengthening the institutional capacity of the authorities.
Capacity Development Fund, JAPAN, LITHUANIA, NETHERLANDS, SLOVAKIA
The Supreme Court of the Netherlands upheld the decision of the previous court in the case on the fate of the “Scythian gold” from the collection of museums of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and decided to transfer it to Ukraine, follows from the message on the website of the court.
“In October 2021, the Court of Appeal ruled that the collection should be transferred to Ukraine. This decision remains in force. That’s what the Supreme Court ruled today,” the message says.
As reported, the exhibition “Crimea. Golden Island in the Black Sea”, representing the collection of Scythian gold jewelry, was formed in the Allard Pearson Museum from the collections of five museums, one of which is located in Kiev, four – in Crimea. After the occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, which occurred after the opening of the exhibition, the question arose as to whom to return the collection – 565 museum items with a total insured value of EUR 10 million.
After the occupation, the Russian Federation claimed its rights to the part of the collection belonging to the Crimean museums. Ukraine, in turn, said that the exhibits cannot be returned to the occupied territory, which is temporarily not under Ukrainian control, and must be transferred directly to the state of Ukraine.
In December 2016, the District Administrative Court of Amsterdam recognized Ukraine’s rights to the collection and ordered it transferred to Kiev. In October 2021, the Court of Appeal of Amsterdam confirmed the decision of the court of first instance. After that, in January 2022, “Crimean museums” filed a cassation against the decision of the Court of Appeal.
The Netherlands is likely to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine after pilot training, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing its own sources familiar with the matter.
“The Netherlands currently has 42 F-16 fighter jets in service, 24 of which are currently used by the Dutch army and cannot be sent to Ukraine until mid-2024. A dozen of the other 18 aircraft were to have been sold to Draken International (an American limited liability company – IF), but the government postponed handing over the planes in December without explanation, citing commercial confidentiality. Although a final decision on the deployment has not yet been made, Ukraine may receive some of the aircraft for sale or some of the 24 aircraft currently in service next year, depending on the training schedule,” the report says.
The publication stresses that the Netherlands maintains the airworthiness of all its F-16s through regular maintenance.
A spokeswoman for the Dutch defense ministry said Thursday that the government would consider a possible F-16 delivery to Ukraine at a later date, adding that pilot training is now a priority. Meanwhile, the Netherlands, along with Denmark, is now leading a coalition to train Ukrainian pilots with support from Britain and Belgium.
“According to one source, the Dutch government is already studying and discussing possible deployment plans with its allies. Despite the Dutch government’s willingness to help strengthen Ukraine’s air defense as soon as possible, pilot training, deployment planning and logistics could take many months,” the publication writes.
According to the Dutch Defense Ministry, as of today the Netherlands has provided Ukraine with about EUR1.6bn of military assistance since the start of the Russian invasion, including EUR732m worth of equipment.
