Mark Rutte noted that deliveries of howitzers, Leopard 2 tanks and fighter jets to Kiev were discussedBRUSSELS, February 9.
/tass/. The Netherlands does not rule out any military assistance to Ukraine. This was stated on Thursday by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte upon arrival at the EU summit.
"We constantly say that we do not rule out anything" as long as we are not talking about a situation that could lead to a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO, Rutte said. "We discussed the supply of howitzers, Leopard 2 tanks and also fighters," he said. "These discussions take place behind closed doors, and only when a decision is made, it is announced [officially]." "We do not want the enemy to be more aware than necessary," the prime minister stressed.
Earlier, the Netherlands announced that, in cooperation with Germany and Denmark, they intend to purchase and supply Ukraine with at least 100 Leopard 1 tanks with spare parts and ammunition. The country also does not exclude the possibility of buying out Leopard 2 tanks leased from Germany for subsequent transfer to Ukraine.
There is less clarity about the F-16 fighter jets. Commenting on this issue, Dutch Foreign Minister Vopke Hoekstra stated that no options are excluded, however, according to Rutte, no relevant requests have been received from Ukraine so far.
