
National security not affected by U.S. leak on war in Ukraine
National security interests have not been harmed by the United States' classified military intelligence about Ukraine leaked online. "We as the Netherlands do not have to draw any consequences from what has come out now," said Jan Swillens, director of the military intelligence service MIVD.
Trust in the United States has suffered a "significant dent" as a result of the leak, Swillens said on the Buitenhof television program. The United States, he said, is an important partner for the Netherlands "and quite often we receive very valuable information from the US."
In mid-April, a 21-year-old American was arrested as part of the investigation into the leaking of state secrets. Swillens is pleased that the FBI is giving the search for the leak "top priority."
After the leak, the MIVD scrutinized its own procedures, personnel screening, and information security.
However, it is not the first and not the last time classified information will be leaked, the MIVD director knows. "You know you can never give a 100 percent guarantee," he said.
Reporting by ANP