Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte signed a 10-year-old security deal with Ukraine in Kharkiv on Friday (March 1), becoming the seventh Western leader to sign a security agreement with the war-torn country. Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom (UK), Germany, France, and Denmark have signed bilateral security deals with Ukraine over the past two months.
According to a report by the news agency Reuters early Saturday, Prime Minister Rutte told reporters that his government would contribute to the Czech Republic’s initiative to purchase 800,000 artillery shells.
In February, the Czech Republic said it had sourced 500,000 rounds of 155 mm shells and 300,000 122 mm rounds from third countries, which could be delivered to Ukraine in weeks if funding was secured. Rutte told reporters the Netherlands would donate $162 million (150 million euros) to the Czech initiative, taking the total to $271 million.
The security deal with Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that the Netherlands’ security deal with Ukraine included $2.2 billion in military aid from Amsterdam this year as well as other defence assistance over the next 10 years.
“Today, Mark Rutte and I signed a bilateral security agreement between Ukraine and the Netherlands,” Zelensky said in a post on social media.
A rare visit to Kharkiv
Rutte’s visit to Kharkiv was a rare one by a senior Western leader as the city is regularly attacked by Russian air strikes and is much closer to the Russian border than Kyiv, Reuters reported.
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Rutte and Zelensky visited an underground classroom established to allow students to attend offline classes safe from missile strikes. The Dutch prime minister praised the courage and determination of the children and teachers as “a true beacon of hope that inspires Ukrainians to keep fighting and allies to keep supporting Ukraine.”
“The task facing Ukrainian allies is clear – do whatever you can to provide what is needed, [for] as long as it takes,” he added.
In a statement on Telegram, Zelensky said that over 20,000 buildings including schools, churches and residential complexes had been destroyed in Kharkiv in the last two years.
(With inputs from agencies)
