Netherlands residents divided on whether Dutch soldiers should go to Ukraine

Nearly half (44 percent) of Netherlands residents would support the Netherlands sending troops to Ukraine to help with the war against Russia. But the majority (49 percent) is still against it, Hart van Nederland reports after polling a representative group of 2,063 members of its opinion panel.

Ukraine has been struggling on some fronts in recent weeks and has been asking for ammunition and troops. At a summit of European countries on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that sending troops to Ukraine is not out of the question. “We will do whatever it takes to prevent Russia from winning,” he said. His Foreign Minister, Stéphane Séjourné, added that French troops wouldn’t be fighting but helping in other ways, like clearing mines and producing weapons.

The 44 percent of Netherlands residents who approve of Dutch troops in Ukraine are pretty divided on what they should do there. Fifteen percent think they should participate in combat missions. The other 29 percent think support functions would be better.

People who voted for far-right and Christian parties are the most against sending Dutch troops to help Ukraine against Russia. A massive 96 percent of FvD voters are against the idea, as are 66 percent of PVV voters, 59 percent of BBB voters, and 57 percent each for Christian parties SGP and ChristenUnie.

The more progressive parties are mainly in favor of sending Dutch soldiers to help - 63 percent of Volt Voters, 60 percent of D66 voters, and 56 percent of GroenLinks-PvdA voters.