United to win: Netherlands pledges €700 mln for drone production and considers €3.5 bln aid package for Ukraine
Photo: Office of the President
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said that his country will invest 700 million euros in the production of drones for Ukraine. The Dutch government has also begun discussions on allocating 3.5 billion euros to support Ukraine in 2026.
NOS reported this information, and Schoof shared it on the X platform.
- Investing in drone production
The Dutch Prime Minister discussed a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He emphasized that he assured President Zelensky of ongoing "political, military, financial, and moral" support from the Netherlands.
Among other things, this is a Dutch investment package worth 700 million euros for drones, which is partly aimed at Ukraine's defense industry.
"It is good that there is now an opportunity to talk with President Zelensky about the events in Ukraine after Sunday's meeting in London. The Netherlands will continue to support Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression," Schoof said.
- A 3.5 billion euro aid package
During parliamentary debates, Prime Minister Dick Schoof stated that they plan to allocate approximately 3.5 billion euros to assist Ukraine in 2026, continuing the policy of previous years. Currently, the total aid from the Netherlands has reached about 5.8 billion euros.
There is still no complete agreement within the coalition. In particular, the leader of the Party for Freedom, Geert Wilders, said that his political force would agree to allocate such an amount provided that there are also steps to reduce the cost of the grocery basket and utility bills for ordinary citizens.
The discussion on aid to Ukraine is connected with the approaching negotiations on the spring memorandum in the coalition. The Freedom Party and the Farmers' and Citizens' Movement insist that greater investments in security and defense should not come at the expense of reducing the spending power of consumers.
In this context, there is also talk of using frozen Russian assets.
Schoof also stated during the discussion that maintaining peace in Europe is impossible without US military power, so the government is focused on improving relations with President Donald Trump.
For reference:
As reported, Ukraine has received another batch of F-16 fighters from the Netherlands. These modern combat vehicles are already in Ukraine and will soon take on combat missions, thus strengthening our defense and ability to resist Russian aggression effectively. Ukraine is also expecting new supplies of F-16s this year.
The Netherlands also participated in training 26 Ukrainians to be so-called F-16 crew chiefs, which continued until the end of January.
In addition, the Netherlands will provide Ukraine with 25 tracked armored vehicles to evacuate wounded defenders.
It is worth noting that the total cost of the Netherlands' implemented military support to Ukraine has increased to almost 5.88 billion euros as of February 4, 2025.
