The Netherlands is not fully trusting the new US administration. The heads of two key Dutch agencies say the country's special services have reduced the amount of information shared with their American counterparts, as per de Volkskrant.
This year has been marked by a scandal, involving data breach of top-level security in the new US administation. It occurred when a journalist was mistakenly added to a secret Signal chat discussing airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Secrets no longer available for everyone
Eric Akerboom from the General Intelligence and Security Service and Peter Resink from the Military Intelligence and Security Service have acknowledged that their approach to working with the CIA and National Security Agency has shifted under the new US administration led by Donald Trump.
“It’s true that sometimes we don’t share certain things anymore,” Resink says.
Akerboom added that "in some cases, we need to carefully consider whether this information should be shared or not.”
At the same time, both secret service chiefs emphasize that the Netherlands has intensified intelligence sharing with European countries due to Russia’s war against Ukraine and growing security threats in Europe.
Cooperation is particularly strong with the UK, Germany, France, Northern European countries, and Poland.
Dozens of strikes every year
The agency heads also reported persistent pressure from Russian intelligence, noting that “dozens of successful cyberattacks” occur annually. They target both government institutions and private companies.
