Netherlands announces new military aid package for Ukraine

The Netherlands has announced a new military aid package for Ukraine that will include inflatable boats and landing craft.

Funds will also be allocated for the purchase of ammunition, the defense ministry reports.

"The Netherlands will provide Ukraine with fast and highly maneuverable rubber and patrol boats, as well as amphibious assault ships. The Netherlands has also allocated 250 million euros for a Czech initiative to order a large number of artillery shells for Ukraine in the short term."

Ukrainian forces will receive 14 rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs), 8 militarized river patrol boats and a CB90 amphibious assault boat.

Some of these boats will be supplied from the defense ministry's own stocks, while others will be supplied from industrial enterprises.

The Netherlands will provide additional assistance in the form of ammunition worth more than €100 million.

Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte held talks in narrow, expanded formats and in the format of a military cabinet meeting. They also signed an agreement on security cooperation between Ukraine and the Netherlands.

The Netherlands will allocate more than €100 million to finance the Czech initiative to provide thousands of artillery shells to Ukraine.

The Dutch government has earmarked 2 billion euros in military support for Ukraine for the next year.

On February 17, Dutch Prime Minister assured that the transfer of F-16s was on schedule and that Ukraine would receive at least 24 multi-purpose fighters.