The Netherlands is exploring ways to further strengthen Ukraine's air defenses following a meeting in Saudi Arabia on the conflict resolution, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th August, 2023) The Netherlands is exploring ways to further strengthen Ukraine's air defenses following a meeting in Saudi Arabia on the conflict resolution, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Tuesday.
"Today I spoke again with (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy) and I congratulated him on the successful meeting in Saudi Arabia on the war, where the Netherlands was represented," Rutte said on X (formerly known as Twitter).
The prime minister emphasized the importance of continuing the dialogue on the Ukrainian crisis with a broad group of countries.
"I underscored that the Netherlands will continue to support Ukraine, and that in particular we're now looking into what else we can do to strengthen Ukrainian air defenses. One way we are helping is by working with our partners to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s," Rutte said.
Later in the day, Zelenskyy said that he had discussed with Rutte bilateral security guarantees in the framework of the G7 Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine as well as the "current defense needs" of the Ukrainian armed forces, including artillery, armored vehicles, and air defense systems "to protect the infrastructure of the Black Sea Grain Initiative."
"I had a phone call with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte. I am grateful for the accession of the Netherlands to the G7 Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine. We discussed future bilateral security guarantees in the framework of this declaration, which should be based on the key role of the Netherlands in the coalition of fighter jets," the Ukrainian president said on X.
Saudi Arabia hosted peace talks on Ukraine in Jeddah over the weekend, and representatives from some 30 countries were invited, but not Russia. The Jeddah meeting is a follow-up to a similar conference held in Denmark in June.
On July 12, G7 member states presented the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine, which provides for the allocation of additional military equipment, expanded intelligence sharing and new training programs for the Ukrainian military, as well as the development of industrial capacities.
Zelenskyy said on August 2 that the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets will start this month. The Netherlands and Denmark are heading a coalition of 11 countries responsible for training Ukrainian pilots and ground personnel.
