Irpin, 23 August 2022 (TDI): A delegation from the Netherlands led by Finance and Trade Minister, Liesje Schreinemacher, and Defense Minister, Kajsa Ollongren paid an official two-day visit to Ukraine.
Visited Irpin in #Ukraine, together with @DefensieMin. It was harrowing to see the suffering and devastation that has been caused there by Russian aggression. Ukraine deserves our continued support, also with its reconstruction: https://t.co/8gz8UXaRua pic.twitter.com/zceRV2XoU9
— Liesje Schreinemacher (@LSchreinemacher) August 22, 2022
The visit of the delegation of the Netherlands was in the Ukrainian city of Irpin. Finance Minister Schreinemacher remarked that Russia’s conflict had cost a lot to Ukraine. She also said that Ukraine deserves continuous financial support for its reconstruction process.
Before visiting Irpin, Netherlands’s Finance and Defense ministers pledged to release financial support to Ukraine. They stated that the Netherlands would support Ukraine’s reconstruction and defense sectors.
In the meeting, the ministers said they would not limit their financial support to Ukraine. Both ministers also made commitments that their exertions will not be limited to countering the war efforts of Ukraine only.
https://twitter.com/DefensieMin/status/1561772917343535104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Aid for Ukraine’s Reconstruction
The ministers approved the release of €65 million to Ukraine in aid. The aid to Ukraine will help Kyiv reconstruct its conflict-effected areas by engaging Dutch companies. These companies will rebuild bridges, hospitals, and other important public facilities destroyed due to war.
An additional €10 million was allocated for the landmines and explosives’ clearing process. €2.5 million were released to Europe Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for the assistance of the National Bank of Ukraine with macroeconomic reforms.
Defense Diplomacy
Defense ministers of the Netherlands and Ukraine, Kajsa Ollongren and Oleksii Reznikov, met on the issue of assisting Ukraine’s military. Ukraine will be provided with a support budget of €210 million to buy ammunition and state-of-the-art military equipment.
The defense diplomacy continues to the extent that the Netherlands had already sent 90 military personnel to train the Ukrainian military officers in the UK. Ollongren added remarks in support of Ukraine, “We will continue to help with this in the future.”
Netherlands’s Defense Minister also assured Ukraine that they would help Kyiv gather evidence. Dutch officials were previously deployed to gather information against the Russian forces for the legal assistance of Ukraine in the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The Netherlands has also offered to share knowledge and experience with Ukraine on care services for veterans.
