Netherlands has given €322 mil. in Ukraine military support; Defense Min. calls for calm

Up to and including November 14, the Netherlands gave Ukraine over 322 million euros in military support for its fight against Russia, Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said in a letter to parliament on Wednesday. She also urged for calm while the missile strike in Poland on Tuesday is investigated.

Ollongren called the missile strike in Poland, which left at least two people dead, “disturbing and serious.” She said to reporters on Wednesday, “Because that’s one of the things you know can happen. Something goes wrong, someone miscalculates. And that can have major consequences. And that is precisely why we must remain calm and examine the facts.”

An investigation by Poland into the missile strike, which hit the village of Przewodow near the border with Ukraine, now appears to have been a part of Ukrainian air defense used by the military there. Andrzej Duda, the country's president, said there was no evidence that Russia launched the missile. Duda said it was more likely an "unfortunate incident."

Jens Stoltenberg, the head of NATO, agreed, but said that Russia is to blame for creating the circumstance. The Ukrainian air defense was only in use because Russia fired dozens of missiles at Ukraine on Tuesday. "Russia bears the ultimate responsibility," he said.

Initial reports suggested the missile which hit Przewodow, killing two people, was fired by Russian forces. But three American officials told the Associated Press that the preliminary assessments suggested that Ukrainian forces fired the missile at an incoming Russian one amid a massive Russian attack on Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure.

The support of the Netherlands and other countries is helping Ukraine “defend itself and further push back the Russian forces,” Ollongren wrote in her letter to parliament. "The government, therefore, considers it as important as ever to continue to contribute to Ukrainian self-defense, especially now that winter is approaching.”

In her previous update on military support for Ukraine, sent to parliament on September 13, the Netherlands had contributed 222 million euros worth of military support.