Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof promised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that an additional aid package of € 3.5 billion would come from The Netherlands next year to support Ukraine in its ongoing fight against invading Russian forces.
The Dutch PM shared the news during Thursday’s extraordinary EU summit in Brussels, called to unite EU leaders in their support for Ukraine, according to Dutch news agency NOS.
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Schoof said the funds will be used next year to supply Ukraine with additional European military aid. The support package became available Thursday, when the motion for an additional €3.5 billion to support Ukraine passed in the Dutch parliament, according to the Dutch House of Representatives.
The motion was filed by the party leader Yeşilgöz-Zegerius of the Dutch liberal party People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, who is part of the current governing coalition.
Two coalition partners, the Party for Freedom and the Farmer-Citizen Movement, voted against the motion.
The motion passed because several opposition parties (among them several left-wing and christian democratic parties) supported the motion.The Netherlands is one of the top providers of support to Ukraine, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of GDP, according to the Ukraine Support Tracker.
The alliance stated in their coalition agreement that the Netherlands will continue to support Ukraine, both for humanitarian and military aid.
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The populist right-wing Party for Freedom is the biggest in the Netherlands. They originally stated in their party program that no more weapons should be given to Ukraine, but when the coalition was formed in 2024, the party agreed to continue supporting Kyiv.
Party leader Geert Wilders is only willing to provide additional support for Ukraine if, at the same time, extra funds are allocated to alleviate the rising cost of living, according to Dutch outlet rd.
The different opinions within the Dutch coalition will likelysurface again when the financial situation of the Dutch state is discussed in parliament.
Schoof said he felt support for Ukraine within the Dutch parliament and could therefore promise Zelensky this additional support before he received parliamentary approval.
Schoof also said he has a positive and constructive attitude towards the € 800 billion investment plan in European defense proposed by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, according to NOS.
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