Netherlands to allocate another EUR 90 mln for drones for Ukraine – Brekelmans
The Netherlands will announce another EUR 90 million support package for drones for Ukraine.
This was stated on Wednesday in Brussels, when arriving at a meeting of defense ministers of NATO member states, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans has said.
"Our support for Ukraine is more important than ever. We see almost daily powerful air attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine. The Ukrainians told me last weekend that the coming winter will be the most difficult yet, and I think we need to ensure a continuous flow of support for Ukraine. And the Netherlands is doing more than ever. A few days ago I announced 200 million in support. Today I will announce another support package of EUR 90 million for drones, both reconnaissance and strike, because we see that Ukraine, the Ukrainian industry, still has the potential to produce more, and so we are investing another EUR 90 million to do this," he said.
In addition, Breckelmans believes it is important to change "the underlying dynamic, because Putin now feels that he is winning every day by continuing Russian aggression in Ukraine, and we must ensure that the price for Putin increases." "This means a steady flow, as well as a long-term commitment to Ukraine when it comes to military support, both bilaterally and through other means, such as frozen assets. "We must support Ukraine with deep strike capabilities so that the costs to Russia increase, but we also need to make sure that by strengthening sanctions, by increasing economic pressure on Russia, Putin feels that he cannot continue like this, and that we will ultimately win, together with Ukraine," the Dutch Defense Minister said. He also said that the Netherlands would support providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. "That is for the United States to decide, but if the United States decides to provide Tomahawk missiles, we will definitely support it," Brekelmans said.