New Dutch PM vows Ukraine backing, slams Russia
The Peninsula
The Hague: New Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof on Wednesday pledged continued financial, military, and political support for Ukraine, as he took ai...
The Hague: New Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof on Wednesday pledged continued "financial, military, and political support" for Ukraine, as he took aim at Russia in his first major speech.
"We should not be naive. A few hours' flight from here, there is a horrific war, where human lives do not matter for Russia," Schoof, a former spy chief, told parliament.
"Ukraine can continue to count on the Netherlands for financial, military and political support," he stressed.
Schoof, 67, also pledged to meet the goal of spending two percent of gross domestic product on defence set by the NATO alliance, soon to be led by his predecessor Mark Rutte.
Speaking to a small group of journalists after his inauguration on Tuesday, Schoof said the main threat to the country "clearly came from the east."