Ukraine and Netherlands sign 10-year agreement on security cooperation
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte have signed an agreement on security cooperation between the two countries, reported the Office of the President.
Like similar agreements with other partners, the agreement with the Netherlands was signed for 10 years. It provides for:
- In the event of repeated military aggression against Ukraine, a 24-hour emergency response mechanism is launched;
- The Netherlands will continue to provide and expand assistance to Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression for as long as necessary.
- The Netherlands provides Ukraine with military assistance worth 2 billion euros in 2024 and continues defense support for 10 years.
- Ukraine will receive modern military equipment and support for the defense industry. The priority is to provide air defense, artillery, armored vehicles, support for maritime and long-range capabilities, and in particular, the Air Force.
- Strengthening assistance to Ukraine in the areas of economic recovery and reconstruction, countering hybrid threats, intelligence, cyber and information security, fighting organized crime, and critical infrastructure.
- Expanding the blocks on sanctions, reparations and accountability for Russia, as well as on the Netherlands' support for Ukraine's cultural heritage.
- The Netherlands supports Ukraine's future membership in the EU and NATO.
During their meeting in Kharkiv, Zelenskyy and Rutte took part in a meeting of the war cabinet. In particular, they spoke with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi, and Commander of the Air Force Mykola Oleshchuk.
Representatives of the Ukrainian army spoke about the current situation on the battlefield, the specifics of Russian air attacks. They also spoke about the critical needs of the Defense Forces in terms of ammunition, air defense systems, and armored vehicles. They also discussed the needs of the air defense forces for the defense of Kharkiv.
Background
On the sidelines of the July NATO summit in Vilnius, the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) agreed on a Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine, in which they stated that each of them would work with Ukraine on specific bilateral long-term security commitments and arrangements. Ukraine, in turn, committed itself to reforms.
More than 20 countries have joined this initiative. The UK was the first country to sign a final agreement. Since then, Germany, Denmark, France, and Canada have also signed bilateral agreements with Ukraine.
- Share: