The Netherlands will provide Ukraine with a new €200 million military aid package aimed at strengthening its ability to counter Russian drone attacks, Dutch defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans told Ukrainian news outlet Suspilne in Kyiv.
Brekelmans said the overnight Russian strikes on 10 October highlighted the urgent need to bolster Ukraine’s air and drone defenses. The attacks hit power facilities and residential areas in several regions, leaving parts of Kyiv without electricity and water.
“We signed a memorandum of understanding with the defense minister on industrial cooperation,” Brekelmans said. “This is part of the Build With Ukraine initiative, which aims to enable Dutch companies to invest in Ukraine and for Ukrainian firms to establish joint ventures in the Netherlands to expand joint production.”
The minister announced that the Netherlands will open a coordination cluster in Kyiv to support Dutch technology companies seeking to enter the Ukrainian market.
Brekelmans also confirmed that Ukraine and the Netherlands are creating joint arms production ventures, though it is too early to reveal details. “We will likely announce one of these projects soon,” he said.
“The goal is to create mutually beneficial partnerships. Ukraine has extensive battlefield experience and innovative companies, while the Netherlands offers advanced technology and industrial capacity to scale up production,” Brekelmans added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the new memorandum on joint drone production as “an important step in our defense cooperation with the Netherlands.”
“This is one of the most promising areas of bilateral cooperation,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on Telegram, thanking the Netherlands for their continued support, which has reached $9 billion since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
He also expressed gratitude for the Netherlands’ contribution of around $600 million under the PURL initiative, noting that these efforts “send a signal and example to other partners.”
Zelenskyy said he and Brekelmans discussed further development of joint drone production and implementation of the initiative.
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