The Netherlands must continue to support Ukraine. Ultimately, it is up to Ukraine itself to determine when the war will end. That is what Wopke Hoekstra, Minister of Foreign Affairs, says in conversation with news hour† He warns that the war can go on for a long time and that this will also hurt the Netherlands.
CDA leader Wopke Hoekstra has been Minister of Foreign Affairs for five months. Since the beginning of the war, the Netherlands has been supplying Ukraine with weapons to defend itself against Russian aggression. The Netherlands now also supplies heavier weapons. According to Hoekstra, it is important that North America, Europe and therefore also the Netherlands continue to supply these weapons, introduce sanctions and help with reconstruction.
“You have to get on with it,” says Hoekstra. “This new phase also calls for different types of weapons. Imagine if we hadn’t done it: you must not have the illusion that the whole country had been overrun by Russia. Then it would never have ended with Kiev as it is now. is finished.”
According to Hoekstra, it is impossible to say when the war will end. “In the end, I think it is up to Ukraine to decide how long the war will go on. They are the ones who suffer the most terrible losses. They fight first and foremost for their own peace and security. But with that the war is also about peace and stability of all Europe. It is essential that we continue to support them in this, not only morally, but also geopolitically.”
Cool reality
According to Hoekstra, the purpose of the heavier weapons is that Ukraine is as well able as possible to defend its own territory. “That’s important. The cold reality is that it gives them strength on the battlefield, and with it the best possible position at the negotiating table.”
The fear of escalating the war cannot be brushed aside, says Hoekstra: “At the moment we have no reason to think that it will become a bigger conflict, a bigger war. But it is not for nothing that NATO allows individual countries to to supply weapons, to make a substantial contribution, but not to monitor the airspace. That would mean that you would come into direct conflict with Russian aircraft. Then you run a huge chance that the flames are in the pan.”
Ukraine’s EU membership remains a point of discussion for the Netherlands. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expects the candidate membership to be awarded later this month at the European summit in Brussels. But so far, the Netherlands has put the brakes on.
Hoekstra says that the cabinet will look with an open mind to the judgment of the European Commission. “It is up to the European Commission to make a sensible judgment about what needs to be done. Then you must be prepared to look at it openly as the Netherlands.”
Corruption in Ukraine in particular is a thorny issue for the Netherlands and Germany. Yesterday a Ukrainian delegation visited the House of Representatives to lobby for candidate membership. Delay would not only be bad for Ukraine, but also for the EU, they argue.
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Ukraine lobbies for EU membership
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Hoekstra warns that the war could go on for a long time. “You should not have the illusion that if the Netherlands were to stop with weapons, the war would be over and the economic sun would shine again. You have to be realistic that we are not only likely to end up in a much longer conflict, a value conflict. have been touched with Russia, but also that that war can last a while. And that this will also hurt, also in the Netherlands.”
According to him, it is up to the cabinet to ensure that the consequences of the war remain bearable for its own population. “But you also have to be honest, that war will last for a while. The consequences can be felt all over the world, including in the Netherlands. It is an illusion to think that we will be rid of that in a few weeks or a few months.” .”
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