Dutch soldiers the first line of defense if Russia attacks Baltic states, Minister says
The chance that Russia will attack the Baltic States will increase significantly if Donald Trump pushes through a ceasefire in Ukraine, the Dutch and other European intelligence services believe. If that happens, Dutch soldiers will be the first line of defense in Lithuania, Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans (VVD) told the Telegraaf.
“It is the view of our services that if there is a ceasefire in Ukraine, the threat to the rest of NATO could become much greater within a year,” Brekelmans said. A ceasefire sounds like a good thing, but the Danish and Dutch intelligence services worry that it will only give Russia room to breathe and expand its assault, making Europe less safe.
According to Brekelmans, a ceasefire would give Russia room to quickly move its troops and military equipment and further increase war production. That Vladimir Putin wants to target the Baltic States next is evident from the Russian rhetoric about restoring the Russian empire, the Minister said.
“That would mean that we as NATO have to strengthen our deterrence even more,” Brekelmans said. “About a year from the moment of a ceasefire is vulnerable. You want to keep that time span as short as possible and the threat as low as possible. Hence the need to keep our military combat power in order.”
The NATO members have agreed on a plan to protect the eastern flank in which each of the 32 member states will take charge of a section of the border. Dutch soldiers will most likely be the first line of defense in Lithuania, along the border with Belarus, where 270 Dutch soldiers are already stationed.
Germany is building a large base in Lithuania to station 5,000 soldiers in the coming years. The Netherlands may also join this permanent presence, according to the newspaper.
The Suwalki corridor is a particularly vulnerable point in Lithuania and may be the first target of attack. The narrow passage between Poland and the Baltic States, with the Russian exclave Kaliningrad on one side and the Russian vassal state of Belarus on the other, could be a way for Russia to connect the Kaliningrad outpost of military installations to the mother country. It is also a good point to pinch off the artery between Poland and the NATO members Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
The ceasefire isn’t there yet, so the Netherlands is also still focusing on helping Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invaders.
The Netherlands is going to give Ukraine 25 armored track vehicles that can be used to get wounded soldiers off the battlefield. The T-72 tanks that Ukraine was still owed from the Netherlands have also arrived, the Minister of Defense Ruben Brekelmans reported.
The minister announced the new gifts during a meeting for the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Brussels on Wednesday, where more than 50 of Ukraine’s ally countries came together to coordinate military support to the country for their war against Russia. The meeting was led by the United Kingdom.
“We are coming up to three years of large-scale Russian aggression in Ukraine. The Ukrainians have been fighting tirelessly for their future for three years. And with that, they also fight for our freedom and safety.” Brekelmans added that the Netherlands has committed 10 billion euros in aid to the Ukrainian war effort. Around six billion euros of this has already been realized.
Prior to the event, United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that the aid would have to come from the European countries from now on.
"Especially now that the Ukrainians are having a hard time at the front, we must continue our support unabated," Brekelmans stressed. "Peace with Russia is only possible through military force."
