Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans said that the Netherlands would allocate €150 million to strengthen Ukraine's air defence.
He told reporters before a meeting of the Contact Group at NATO headquarters, Ukrinform reports.
‘For us, one of the main priorities is air defence - this is also what President Zelenskyy asked for this week, as air attacks have become more intense than ever. We continue to deliver F-16s. We have also already announced that we will spend 500 million on a drone project, which is very important for Ukraine. And today we are also announcing another 150 million for an air defence system [...] which will also help Ukraine defend its skies,’ he said.
According to Brekelmans, this project is being implemented jointly with the UK.
The minister also reminded that a few weeks ago the Netherlands announced that it would allocate an additional €3.5 billion to support Ukraine, of which €2 billion will be spent this year.
He stressed that it is now very important to strengthen Ukraine's position on the battlefield, which will help to improve its position at the negotiating table.
‘If we want Ukraine to have a better position at the negotiating table, it is important to support it on the battlefield so that, firstly, it can hold the front line, and secondly, it can be in a stronger position for negotiations,’ Brekelmans said.