Rob Jetten, who is to become the new Prime Minister of the Netherlands after the conclusion of a coalition agreement, rules out negotiations with Kremlin head Vladimir Putin, promising support for Ukraine, UNN writes with reference to The Guardian.
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Rob Jetten, whose D66 party this week concluded a minority coalition agreement to form the Dutch government, does not support negotiations with Moscow, promising that his new government will continue to support Kyiv.
The 38-year-old prime minister said he would not talk to Moscow because there are currently "no signs" that Russia wants to end the war in Ukraine.
"And as long as the aggression continues, we will continue to support the Ukrainian people," he said in comments to the AFP news agency.
As Le Monde notes, the new Dutch government pledged its full support to Ukraine on Friday, during the presentation of its political program, three months after the elections.
This program, a 79-page manifesto, is the result of a persistent agreement between three political parties led by centrist Rob Jetten, who is to become prime minister. "The struggle in Ukraine concerns the security of all of Europe," the document, titled "Let's Get to Work," states.
"Therefore, we will continue our long-term financial and military support and continue to advocate for the use of frozen Russian assets," the manifesto specifies. The new coalition also committed to enshrining in law a minimum target of 3.5% of GDP for NATO defense spending.
Jetten, The Guardian writes, also said that Europeans should have a "much more active discussion about what Europe can do for itself" and stop looking to the US under Donald Trump.
Earlier this week, EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas also stated that the EU should not "go to Russia [and say] let's talk." She insisted that the EU should instead work to "increase pressure on Russia so that they move from pretending to negotiate to real negotiations" with Ukraine.
Ukraine's reaction
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha expressed gratitude for the wording confirming the Netherlands' unwavering support for Ukraine after the presentation of the coalition agreement.
"I had a productive conversation with my Dutch counterpart Minister David van Weel immediately after the presentation of the coalition agreement. Grateful for the strong wording confirming unwavering support for Ukraine, including 3 billion euros in annual military aid until 2029, as well as readiness to support Ukraine on its path to EU and NATO membership," Sybiha wrote on X.
Sybiha informed his colleague about the security situation in Ukraine and expressed gratitude for the recently provided aid package for our energy sector.
"We exchanged views on our bilateral dialogue and paid special attention to promoting the establishment of a Special Tribunal to ensure accountability for the crime of aggression committed by Russia against Ukraine," the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry noted.
Ukraine and the Netherlands also held talks through their defense ministries.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced that he had a conversation with Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans regarding further strengthening of defense cooperation.
"The Netherlands is our strategic partner in strengthening and scaling defense technologies. I thanked them for their systemic and consistent support of Ukraine in key areas. We discussed the Drone Line project. (...) This project was implemented with the active support of the Netherlands, which allocated about 800 million euros for this program in 2025," Fedorov wrote on Telegram.
According to him, top UAV units that have demonstrated high efficiency on the battlefield are involved in the initiative. "The units are already destroying every fourth target at the front every month," Fedorov emphasized.
According to the Minister of Defense, the focus of cooperation with the Netherlands is:
- strengthening air defense. He noted the role of the Netherlands in the PURL initiative, aimed at providing Ukraine with critically important weapons. PAC-3 missiles and F-16 ammunition, transferred within the PURL packages, are already protecting the Ukrainian sky during Russian attacks. We expect continued support this year;
- drone development and production. Another important area is Build with Ukraine. This is an initiative that allows foreign defense companies to establish production in Ukraine and quickly provide the Defense Forces with modern solutions. We are consistently launching the production of Ukrainian drones in the format of a joint venture in the Netherlands. Our priority is to minimize bureaucracy, quickly launch production, and stably provide soldiers with drones;
- strengthening aviation. We agreed to exchange developments between teams to increase the effectiveness of F-16 use - both for air defense and for strike operations. We are launching systemic changes to bring Ukrainian aviation to a new level.
"Separately, we also discussed other areas of cooperation: localization and acceleration of Robin radar repairs, supply of AIM anti-aircraft missiles, provision of RUTA cruise missiles," Fedorov said, thanking the Netherlands for its important support, trust, and constructive, mutually beneficial cooperation.