House of Representatives: ‘The Netherlands must empty its own arms stock for Ukraine’ Inland
gives the chamber the green light for all conceivable arms supplies to Ukraine. “We have to send much more weapons and look at the absolute edges of the potential,” says D66 MP Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, who has a motion for this together with VVD, CDA, CU and PvdA. Sjoerdsma wants to ‘double the weeks, so to speak’, he says in the House. “We can buy stuff off the shelf, deliver weapons through allies and run low on our own supplies.”
This appeal from the Chamber comes after a recent plea from Ukrainian President Volodomir Zelensky. He says he needs 4,800 heavy weapons to avoid being overrun by Russia.
VVD and CDA support the motion, but do have a comment. “We have to erode our armed forces too much”, not VVD member Ruben Brekelmans. “We also need weapons for our own readiness and preparedness.” CDA member Agnes Mulder points out that the Netherlands must still be able to participate in the current international missions. SP MP Jasper van Dijk is concerned about the motion. He fears that the Netherlands will now also supply fighter jets to Ukraine.
Minister Wopke Hoekstra (Foreign Affairs) agrees with the movement, but talks that the Netherlands ‘will not unintentionally end up in a situation that is the harbinger of a Third World War’. “We are going to weigh what is sensible time and time again,” says Hoekstra.
Hoekstra’s reaction is remarkable, because Prime Minister Mark Rutte said last month that he did not expect the Netherlands to send more heavy weaponry to Ukraine. Together with the Germans, our country is supplying twelve howitzers. “There are limits to what we can do,” Rutte said at the time.
From a NATO meeting in Brussels, Minister Kajsa Ollongren (Defence) responds understandingly to the wishes of the House. “I see it as an encouragement to continue,” says the minister. they comment: “It must be weapons systems that the Ukrainians can use.” According to her, it is not obvious to supply combat aircraft.
She is more conservative about draining our own stocks: “Nato has to protect itself and we have to do our part in that. our military must be able to train and for that we need supplies. we can never win this war with Russia. So it is crucial that Ukraine can continue the fight.”