Dutch Defense Min. to meet with Boris Johnson, Baltic & Nordic leaders

Minister of Defense Kajsa Ollongren will represent the Netherlands this week at a meeting between Nordic and Baltic leaders organized by United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The summit will bring together members of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a Northern European security coalition, to discuss European security and military support to Ukraine.

The Netherlands is a member of the U.K.-led coalition alongside Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden and Norway. Some of the countries involved have recently faced aggression from Russia along their land borders or through cyberattacks, according to a press release from the U.K. government. The meeting will therefore address the war in Ukraine, but also longer-term security concerns and ways to help Ukraine rebuild after the war.

Johnson will also urge nations to come together and ensure other countries remain safe from Russian aggression, according to the release. "Ensuring we are resilient to Putin’s threats needs to go beyond our military footing –– together alongside our North and Baltic Sea partners we must ensure we are insulated from Russia’s interference and impact on our energy supplies, economy and values," Johnson said in the release.

The meeting will come after a major NATO deployment to Norway on Monday, called Exercise Cold Response. Over 30,000 troops from 27 countries will take part in the exercise.