Netherlands to give Ukraine sniper rifles, radars, helmets

The Dutch Cabinet agreed to Ukraine's request for military support and will supply the country with sniper rifles, combat helmets, and radars, among other things. The promised support complies with European Union rules for arms exports, the Cabinet said on Friday.

The Netherlands will give Ukraine 3,000 combat helmets and 2,000 fragmentation vests for personal protection. It also supplies 30 metal detectors to detect mines, improvised explosive devices and weapons hidden underground, and wire-guided robots to detect sea mines. Defense will also provide five weapon location radars and two battlefield surveillance radars to detect the location of enemy artillery, and 100 sniper rifles with 30,00 pieces of ammunition.

If the Ukrainian military needs instruction or training on using the Dutch equipment, the Ministry of Defense will provide this outside the Ukrainian borders. The government said that no Dutch soldiers would go to Ukraine for combat or other actions. 

"The core of the government's efforts continues to be aimed at de-escalating the situation through dialogue and diplomacy. Because preventing war remains the highest priority. At the same time, Ukraine must be able to defend itself against a possible Russian armed attack on its territory," said Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Foreign Affairs. "That is why the Cabinet decided to supply these military goods to Ukraine."

"The Netherlands supports Ukraine on many fronts and is, therefore, like a number of other partners, willing to support military goods," said Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren. "We do this out of solidarity and as part of a broader package together with the EU and NATO allies."