ANPDemissionary Prime Minister Rutte
The newly formed Dutch cabinet will continue its support for Ukraine, expects outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte. If PVV leader Wilders continues to insist that the Netherlands must stop providing financial and material support to Ukraine, Rutte believes it will be impossible to form a cabinet. “I think Geert Wilders realizes that very well.”
The PVV is one of the few parties in the Netherlands that wants to stop supplying weapons to Ukraine. But with 37 Chamber seats, Wilders is in the formation. The other parties he has negotiated with in recent weeks, VVD, NSC and BBB, are in favor of material and financial support to Ukraine.
News hour interviewed Rutte at the international security conference in Munich. “It is my absolute conviction that a new cabinet cannot be formed if support for Ukraine does not continue on the scale on which it is now taking place,” he says. “In our interests, for our values and our security, Russia must lose this battle. We cannot give in to Geert Wilders.”
WITH THEM
Rutte also responded to the words of former American president and presidential candidate Donald Trump, who said last weekend that Russia may attack NATO countries if they do not spend enough money on defense. It raises the question of whether NATO can still count on unconditional support from America. But according to Rutte, European countries must look at themselves and stop “grumbling and whining” about Trump.
“The last thing we should do is increase our defense spending because Trump might come back. As if we need Trump for that. We are already doing that.”
Political reporter Arjan Noorlander:
“You can call Rutte’s statements striking, because he had resolved not to interfere with the formation at all. On the other hand, if there is one subject on which he is fully vocal, even in a caretaker state, it is Ukraine. We have already seen it time before, when Rutte threatened that his entire cabinet would resign if the House blocked extra money to Ukraine.
Moreover, Rutte can be somewhat reassured about Wilders. The tweet that the PVV leader sent today in response to Navalny’s death was very anti-Russian. For example, Wilders spoke of a “barbaric penal colony of a barbaric regime”. But of course this has not changed the PVV’s position on Ukraine.”
On Thursday, outgoing Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said that European countries must double their defense budgets to 4 percent of gross domestic product if America leaves NATO. That percentage is currently 2 percent.
That is a target number. Most European countries do not achieve that. Now that the Russian threat is increasing, more and more countries are trying to release extra money for Defense. American presidential candidate Trump is annoyed that America spends more on (international) security than NATO allies.
Secretary General at NATO?
Rutte does not want to respond to the question of whether he will become the new Secretary General of NATO. He does say that whoever it is, he or she will have to work well with America. Because, according to Rutte, that country realizes that stability in Europe is essential.
“Imagine that our part of Europe comes under the influence of Russia. That becomes a launching pad from Russia to America. It is in their (American, ed.) interest that there is a strong NATO. Whoever is president. I am convinced that a large majority in Congress will always support that.”
Watch the entire conversation with Rutte below:
Mark Rutte about NATO and support for Ukraine
2024-02-16 21:15:44
#Rutte #Wilders #perfectly #support #Ukraine #continue
