It Is Important That Together with the Netherlands We Are Already Producing Weapons, and We Will Certainly Continue This Joint Work – President of Ukraine Following the Meeting with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands

 

In Kyiv, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Rob Jetten, during which the leaders discussed the continuation of military support, joint weapons production, and efforts to hold all Russian war criminals and Russia accountable.

The Head of State thanked Rob Jetten for this important and symbolic visit to Ukraine almost immediately after beginning his work at the head of the new Government.

“The Netherlands has supported us since the first days of this war in many aspects. This includes defense support and assistance to our energy sector. Today Rob and I discussed energy and preparations for the next season. Support for sanctions against Russia, as well as political support for Ukraine. We especially appreciate your work on justice – on holding all Russian war criminals and Russia itself accountable for this completely unprovoked war of aggression,” the President noted.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that work on establishing the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine is ongoing in the Netherlands, and that it must be organizationally prepared this year.

The Head of State informed the Prime Minister about the situation on the battlefield and the Russian attacks that do not stop for a single day. Rob Jetten expressed his condolences over the Russian terrorist strikes and assured that the Netherlands will continue to actively support Ukraine in various areas.

“We have the ambition and the intention to scale up the drone production facilities. We want to do it together, so both with companies in the Netherlands and companies in Ukraine. So that we can boost production in both our countries to make sure that we can supply all the troops on the battlefield as soon as possible and to increase the production for Europe as a whole,” Rob Jetten added.

The leaders discussed the continuation of defense assistance, the importance of developing the PURL initiative, and a request from Ukrainian warriors for radars, which the military conveyed to Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the front in Druzhkivka. The Netherlands is one of the countries that produces such radars, which can contribute to defense.

“It is important that together with the Netherlands we are already producing weapons. We have begun this work. And we will certainly continue this joint work and expand it. In particular, this is provided for in the joint statement adopted today between our states. We discussed this in detail during the meeting: investments, possible licenses, and production volumes,” the President said.

Considerable attention was also given to the challenges caused by the war in the Middle East and Iran’s strikes on all Gulf countries.

“The countries of the region and the United States of America have turned to Ukraine for support – and we will provide them with the necessary means, and above all our expertise – the experience of our military – to protect against “shaheds,” cruise missiles, and so on. But it is important that this example of the United States and the Gulf countries turning to Ukraine also becomes an impetus for Europe and our other partners – an impetus to implement what is necessary for shared security on our continent,” the President stressed.

The leaders also discussed countering Russian oil tankers. The President emphasized that it is important for European states to stop the movement of tankers carrying Russian oil. The Netherlands is developing the necessary legislative changes to block and confiscate the shadow tanker fleet and the oil.

“Just as sanctions against Russia are needed – the 20th sanctions package is necessary. We very much hope that partners will be able to unblock it. I am also grateful to the Netherlands for supporting the issue of a stable financial security guarantee for Ukraine – €90 billion for two years,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

“It is crystal clear to the Netherlands that the future of Ukraine lies in Europe. It is part of the European family and should become a member of the EU in the end. It is important that Ukraine continues the work on reforms. That is what we discussed and I'm impressed by the work that has already been done over the past few years in times of war, also proceeding with the necessary reforms to become an EU member,” Rob Jetten added.