“For us, one of the main priorities is air defense – this is also what the president asked for this week [Украины Владимир] Zelensky, since air attacks have become more intense than ever. We continue to supply the F-16. We also have already announced that we will spend € 500 million on the project of drones, which is very important for Ukraine. And today we are also announcing the allocation of another € 150 million on the air defense system, which will also help Ukraine protect its sky, ”he said, adding that this project will be implemented together with the UK.
Brekmelmans emphasized that a few weeks ago the Netherlands announced the allocation of an additional € 3.5 billion in support of Ukraine, of which € 2 billion will be spent this year.
According to the head of the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands, it is important to strengthen the position of Ukraine on the battlefield, providing it with additional levers of influence on future possible negotiations on the establishment of peace.
“If we want Ukraine to have the best positions at the negotiating table, it is important to support it on the battlefield so that, firstly, it could hold the front line, and, secondly, to be in a stronger position for negotiations,” Brekelmans said.
