President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky met with the Minister of Defense of the Netherlands Kajsa Ollongren. The day before, she visited Dnipro.
Zelensky’s meeting with Ollongren
The Office of the President reported that Zelensky emphasized the importance of Kajsa Ollongren’s visit to Dnipro, where the Dutch delegation saw firsthand the destructive consequences of Russian air terror. Source: Office of the President of Ukraine.
“We are grateful to the government of the Netherlands, led by the Prime Minister, parliament, and society for all the support and important decisions for Ukraine. We have signed a significant document in the field of security between the countries”.
Zelensky also emphasized the importance of including in the bilateral security agreement the provision of military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of 2 billion euros in 2024, as well as a powerful military bloc.
The head of state emphasized the leading role of the Netherlands in the functioning of the international aviation coalition and expressed gratitude to the Dutch government for the important decision to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
The President informed Ollongren about the situation on the battlefield and the current needs of Ukrainian defenders.
Special attention was paid to strengthening the Ukrainian air defense system, providing artillery, armored vehicles, and UAVs, including within joint projects.
Netherlands Aid: What is known?
On March 1, the government of the Netherlands announced that the country will provide a new package of military assistance to Ukraine. It will include fast and highly maneuverable rubber and patrol boats, as well as landing ships.
Ukraine will receive:
14 rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs)
8 militarized river patrol boats
CB90 landing craft.
The Netherlands has also allocated 250 million euros for the Czech initiative to order artillery shells for Ukraine.
Together with Denmark, the Netherlands leads the aviation coalition for training Ukrainian pilots on American F-16 fighter jets. Ukraine is expected to receive over 20 combat aircraft.