Netherlands signs 10-year security deal with Ukraine during Dutch PM's Kharkiv visit
The Netherlands became the seventh country to sign a long-term bilateral security agreement with Ukraine. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to sign the ten-year agreement on Friday. The Netherlands already confirmed last week it would likely sign the deal nearly two full years after Russian President Vladimir Putin intensified his country's invasion over the border.
The Netherlands committed to providing two billion euros in military aid this year, starting with another 150 million euros for a Czech plan to provide artillery to Ukraine. The country has already provided over 2.6 billion euros in military aid since the war intensified in 2022. "For two years now Ukraine has been subjected to Russia’s ruthless war. Together with President Zelenskyy, I was in Kharkiv today, a city that Putin is trying to destroy with brutal airstrikes," Rutte wrote on social media. The leaders of the two countries signed deal "for the security of Ukraine and the future security of Europe," the caretaker prime minister said.
"Each such agreement expands our opportunities, global interactions, and strength. At the same time, each such agreement reinforces the rules-based international order. The closer we interact, the faster the Russian terrorists will be defeated," Zelenskyy said. He thanked the Netherlands for continuing to take a stand by demanding Russia be held accountable for a decade of war in his country, and ensuring more support for Ukraine's defense over the next ten years.
Geert Wilders, the leader of the PVV, said last weekend that he "supports Ukraine," but said that a caretaker Cabinet has no business committing to a 10-year deal. The PVV won 37 seats in the Tweede Kamer in the election last November, making it the biggest party in the lower house of Dutch Parliament.
Six other countries signed similar agreements with Ukraine in recent days, including Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The Dutch prime minister noted that the Netherlands has been involved in the conflict in the region ever since July 17, 2014, when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine. The Boeing 777 departed from Amsterdam that morning, and exploded on its way to Kuala Lumpur.
"On that day 298 innocent people lost their lives when flight MH17 was shot down by a Russian missile over eastern Ukraine. Together with President Zelenskyy I spoke to people who were involved in the repatriation of the victims of MH17. It was an emotional moment, which left a deep impression on me."
Rutte also joined Zelenskyy at the Shevchenko City Garden, where they visited a monument dedicated to children killed during the war with Russia. The two placed memorial candles and teddy bears at the statue. "My visit today made it all the more clear to me that Putin cannot be allowed to win this barbaric war. Ukraine must prevail. Humanity must prevail. Peace and justice must prevail," Rutte said.
The two also visited a primary school and secondary school constructed in the Universytet subway station, where more than 850 students are continuing their education despite many schools above ground having been destroyed. It was Rutte's fifth trip to Ukraine in the past two years, and his first to Kharkiv.
