Netherlands to build combat vehicles and Patriot systems for Ukraine jointly with other EU countries
The Dutch government, which will resign soon, has adopted decisions aimed at accelerating the production of defence equipment for Ukraine and for its own use.
According to NOS, with this goal, the Netherlands seeks cooperation with other European countries and with the Dutch defence industry.
For instance, the Netherlands will cooperate with Denmark and Sweden to develop CV90 infantry fighting vehicles for Ukraine. €400 million will be allocated for a Swedish fund for constructing these vehicles. Earlier, Denmark made a choice in favour of cooperation with the Swedes. These CV90 vehicles are mainly manufactured in the Netherlands (180 out of 230 vehicles).
"European production capacities must be increased for Ukraine and for us as well," Kajsa Ollongren, Dutch Minister of Defence, said.
"Our armed forces must be combat ready, and the time for this is limited," she noted.
Moreover, a European assembly line for the production of Patriot missiles will appear in Germany, and the Netherlands will participate in it too. The government announced this decision earlier.
"The American manufacturer allowed the production of Patriot missiles in Europe. This will accelerate the pace of the production," Ollongren stated.
€25 million were also reserved for startups, and €54 million will be handed over to the Dutch defence industry for creating the drones for "own use" by the Dutch Armed Forces. In addition to this, the procurement policy will be more focused on speed and whether the equipment is produced in Europe than on cost.
These projects are expected to accelerate the pace of production by the Dutch and European defence industries and make the products more innovative, both for Ukraine and for the Dutch defence sector.
Christopher Cavoli, commander of NATO in Europe, stated that NATO member states were "ready for collective territorial defence" but needed more military equipment.
Earlier, Eirik Kristoffersen, head of the Norwegian Armed Forces, said that the "window of opportunities" of NATO for preparing for a possible confrontation with Russia had decreased to two to three years.