Netherlands pushing billions into NATO defense spending standard, Ukraine support

The outgoing Dutch government is pushing billions into upping its Defense spending to meet the NATO standard and more support for Ukraine, sources close to the government told RTL Nieuws.

This year, Ukraine will get an additional 400 million euros in military support from the Netherlands, according to the broadcaster’s sources. That is on top of the 2 billion euros in support the government already budgeted for Ukraine in 2024. The additional amount is noted in the Spring Memorandum - the spring update to the national budget.

The government also set aside 1.5 billion euros to support Ukraine next year. According to RTL’s sources, that money will go to military support, fact-finding for war crimes, and rebuilding the country.

The government is also investing in defense to meet the NATO standard of spending 2 percent of the gross national product (GDP) on the armed forces. The Netherlands just missed that target last year.

With the additional investments, Dutch defense spending will be 2.15 percent this year, 2.05 percent in 2025, and 2.22 percent in 2026. After that, it is up to the new government to ensure it adheres to the NATO standard.

Almost all parties listed adhering to the NATO standard as a priority in their election programs last year, so these investments are likely to continue.

When it comes to Ukraine, on the other hand, the PVV - now the largest party in parliament - has historically been against support. The outgoing Cabinet may be trying to guarantee as much money as possible for Kyiv’s fight against the Russian invaders before a new government takes over.