Dutch military chief: All options open in Ukraine even if NATO won’t yet send troops

It is “not yet opportune” for the Netherlands to talk about sending soldiers to Ukraine, said General Onno Eichelsheim, the Chief of Defence of the Netherlands. “I think you should keep all options open to see how you can best support Ukraine.” The armed forces commander remarked on French President Emmanuel Macron speaking about the possibility of sending troops to the eastern European country, and comments from NATO and other international leaders saying the timing is not right.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday night that sending troops to Ukraine has not been ruled out after a meeting involving 20 countries. The general says that the president wanted to make all options a possible topic of conversation. It is a "far-end" option, according to Eichelsheim.

The general added that this is the first time it has been declared publicly. "We have not reviewed this before." However, he also added that it is not an issue at this time. The Netherlands has not been asked to supply troops.

If Western militaries were to go to Ukraine, it would have to be in a coalition, said Eichelsheim. This would either be via NATO or an alliance between 10 to 15 countries. "It would be very odd if one or two countries did this." He emphasized that sending troops is also a political decision.

The Netherlands Chief of Defence thinks there are other ways to help the Ukranians, like sending more weapons. "There are other options than already thinking about soldiers in NATO uniforms walking around there."

Eichelsheim is in the Czech Republic on Tuesday to visit weapons factories there. In Sternberk, he visited a factory where T-72 tanks financed by the Netherlands are being modernized and then delivered to Ukraine.

NATO and several European countries reacted with restraint to Macron’s remarks earlier on Tuesday, when he said Western leaders have not “ruled out” military support on the ground during a meeting of European leaders in Paris. Macron acknowledged that a consensus was not reached to make an official statement about sending military personnel.

At the same time he told reporters after the meeting, “We will do everything needed so Russia cannot win the war.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg responded to say that the countries in his alliance “are providing unprecedented to Ukraine,” which they have done since 2014 when Russia first invaded the Crimean Peninsula and eastern Ukraine. “But there are no plans for NATO combat troops on the ground in Ukraine.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who was also in Paris, kept a low profile after the talks. He said other issues were central to the European leaders’ conversations. Rutte is the frontrunner to succeed Stoltenberg later this year.

NATO countries warned from the outset that the alliance could find themselves in their own war with Russia if they send soldiers to Ukraine. The United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Hungary, Sweden, Poland and the Czech Republic made it clear that they were not yet considering such a step after Macron’s remarks.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday that there was a general agreement not to send ground troops to Ukraine at this time. Omid Nouripour, the leader of German coalition partner The Greens also said a deployment in not being considered at the moment.

“It’s not happening yet,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson responded to broadcaster SVT. “We now have our hands full sending advanced equipment to Ukraine.” Sweden announced this month that it would allocate more than 7 billion kroner - the equivalent of 626 million euros - for a military aid package for Ukraine, which includes artillery shells and other forms of ammunition.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that his country’s position is “clear and rock-solid: We do not want to send weapons and troops to Ukraine.” Prime Minister Petr Fiala of the Czech Republic and Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland also said they were not currently considering sending troops.

The British government said it had no plans for a “large-scale deployment” of troops. “The UK is already training large numbers of Ukrainian troops,” said a spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. “And of course we also support Ukrainian troops by supplying equipment and supplies.”