Bussiness
Elon Musk slams Dutch PM Mark Rutte over long-term financial aid to Ukraine
Dutch activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek recently slammed her government for promising long-term financial aid to Ukraine stating that the ‘opinion of the Dutch People’ wasn’t considered. She received strong support on the issue from Elon Musk.
Taking to X, Vlaardingerbroek said, The Dutch caretaker government just signed a “security agreement” with Ukraine committing to military & financial support for the next 10 years. I repeat: 10 years.
‘The opinion of the Dutch People hasn’t been asked once. Mark Rutte just draws our wallet till he becomes Secretary General of NATO, and then he’ll draw all of yours too.’
Meanwhile, reacting to the statement, Elon Musk said, ‘Doesn’t seem like he has the legal authority to do this.’
All you need to know about Ukraine-Netherland 10-year security deal
Dutch officials on Friday announced that it has sealed a 10-year security deal with Ukraine. Similar agreements were earlier signed by Germany, Britain, France and Denmark.
Announcing the same, the Dutch foreign ministry said in a statement, “This agreement is a signal from the government that the Netherlands wants to support Ukraine for a longer period of time in the areas of security, defence, reconstruction and justice,”
“The Netherlands is thus helping Ukraine to defend itself against Russia,” said a ministry statement. An accord would be signed soon.
Ukraine has been anxious to shore up its security with bilateral agreements, two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, now a frontrunner to become the next NATO chief and also an strong ally of Ukraine, called the deal “good news.”
“This sends a strong signal to Russia: we strongly support Ukraine,” Rutte said on X, formerly Twitter.
The Netherlands has allocated 2.63 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine, pledging an additional 2 billion euros this year. In December, they confirmed plans to deliver 18 F-16 combat jets, along with tanks, artillery, machine guns, ammunition, and drones, bolstering Ukraine’s defense capabilities.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Published: 24 Feb 2024, 08:03 AM IST