The Netherlands must be prepared for new military challenges and “arm ourselves to the teeth” to ensure its security. This was stated by King Willem-Alexander during a visit to the barracks in Vredepiel (Limburg province), where Ukrainian soldiers are being trained. “We may have taken freedom and peace for granted for too long. However, the war in Ukraine and other conflicts clearly show that this is no longer the case. We need to be prepared – otherwise things will get bad,” NOS quotes the king as saying.
Willem-Alexander noted that the Netherlands should not just strengthen its defense, but also seriously engage in rearmament. According to him, the country’s defense industry must once again be able to produce equipment and weapons needed in a real military conflict.
As reported in mid-April by the leader of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), which is part of the ruling coalition, Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, the Dutch government intends to allocate more than 1.1 billion euros for defense and security needs. In addition, in 2025, the Netherlands plans to allocate 2 billion euros to Kyiv, of which 500 million will be spent on the production of drones, VVD MP Ruben Brekelmans said earlier. Earlier, Ukraine received F-16 fighters from the Netherlands.