Wilders against outgoing Dutch Cabinet’s 10-year Ukraine security deal

 

SATURDAY, 24 FEBRUARY 2024 - 12:15

Wilders against outgoing Dutch Cabinet’s 10-year Ukraine security deal

https://nltimes.nl/2024/02/24/wilders-outgoing-dutch-cabinets-10-year-ukraine-security-deal

 

PVV leader Geert Wilders finds it unacceptable that the outgoing Rutte IV Cabinet, on its caretaker state, has concluded a security agreement of at least 10 years with Ukraine. Minister Hanke Bruins Slot (Foreign Affairs) announced bilateral agreements on Friday, including military support and defense industry cooperation. Countries such as Germany, France and Denmark also signed similar agreements with the embattled country last week.

 

"The PVV supports Ukraine and is ready to talk about any form of help," Wilders wrote on X. "But a caretaker cabinet can't sign a 10-year agreement."

 

"I should have skipped that last sentence," CDA MP Derk Boswijk replied to the post. Wilders is regularly accused of being too much in line with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This criticism has become louder since his party became the strongest force in the November elections and thus has the initiative in the formation.

 

It is not yet known how much funding the Dutch government will provide to support the Ukrainian army. The agreement signed by Rutte's outgoing cabinet is, like the agreements of other Western countries, not legally binding. It is a sign of political solidarity. Accordingly, it does not mean that Dutch soldiers will help Ukraine in the fight against Russia, De Telegraaf reported.

 

GroenLinks-PvdA leader Frans Timmermans said in a speech last week that he believes the PVV's lead candidate should not be directly responsible for national defense and security. "I don't want to put my fate in the hands of Putin's admirers, here or elsewhere."

 

It was exactly two years ago on Saturday that Russia invaded Ukraine.