Thank you so much, dear Rob! Thank you for this visit!
All those present! Dear Prime Minister, Rob’s team, dear ministers, dear journalists!
Today, we thank the Netherlands for its clear and tangible support for Ukraine throughout this full-scale war. That is a significant amount of time, and the Netherlands has always taken a strong, principled, and practical position that helps us save our people, protect people’s lives, the lives of our children, defend Ukraine, and, of course, defend Europe.
I want to thank you for the new package that Rob just mentioned. It is very important for us, especially at this time of massive attacks on our energy system – the new military support package for us worth €500 million, which is being prepared right now – this fall. This is truly significant, especially when it comes to repelling these air attacks.
Our key shortage right now is missiles, ballistic interceptors, to take down Russian ballistic missiles. Russia is betting primarily on ballistic missiles in this war, especially with winter approaching. We now need particular help securing these resources needed to fight for lives. Europe has these resources, and so do our partners in the United States. And it is important that the relevant programs truly work, particularly the PURL initiative, and that the U.S. side does not delay deliveries under the program either. We are counting heavily on support for this at every level. Every day of delay means losses and destruction for us, given that Russia’s ballistic attacks and their entire campaign against our cities and communities continue every single day – you all see it – nonstop. We need the appropriate deliveries. Also nonstop.
I also thank you for the announced package of non-lethal support for Ukraine – what the Prime Minister has just said and what our colleagues in Kyiv have approved. We are very grateful for this €1.2 billion package. It strengthens our resilience, and the funds will go toward energy support, infrastructure recovery, the social sector, and health care.
Today, Rob and I discussed the situation in the diplomatic process in great detail. A lot is happening right now. Preparations are underway for a trilateral meeting planned in Abu Dhabi, and we expect the meeting to take place by November 10. We also hope very much that possible escalations in the Middle East, which are being discussed so extensively right now, will not get in the way. In the context of preparations for this trilateral format, we discussed what we can do together with our European partners to ensure that the position of all of us in Europe is really taken into account. We are confident that the Netherlands will take a strong position and will support ending the war as soon as possible, ensuring security, and achieving a dignified peace. We thank you for that.
It is important that we held a meeting today with the business community. This is one of the key parts of our bilateral relations. We want all political agreements to be followed by tangible economic results at the company level in our two countries, creating economic growth and jobs in both Ukraine and the Netherlands. And today, we defined key priorities and decisions that can strengthen this kind of practical, economic cooperation. I don’t think this will be our last meeting, because we saw that there was a desire for a broader dialogue, and we just ran a little short on time. But what’s very important is that this dialogue is happening. There are decisions, and there is a willingness to work together. Defense production, joint technology and energy projects, industrial development, and, very importantly, satellite technologies and air defense. Our teams have been tasked today with working out a specific air defense project, Bliksem. And we have already started this work. We are taking our cooperation to a level where it is clear that standing alongside Ukraine also means achieving additional positive technological and social results. And that will happen, I’m absolutely sure. Thank you again for your support, and thank you to all your people for supporting us so strongly. We feel it, and we hear it. Thank you, Rob!
Glory to Ukraine!
