During a visit to the eastern region of Kharkiv, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bilateral security agreement that includes €2 billion in military aid from the Netherlands this year and further defense assistance. over the next 10 years.
In a post on the social network X, Zelensky highlighted that the agreement prioritizes “the provision of air defense, artillery, maritime and long-range capabilities, with particular emphasis on strengthening Ukraine’s air force.”
In early February, Russia seized the strategic eastern city of Avdiivka, overwhelming Ukrainian forces with large numbers of troops and superior aerial and artillery firepower.
Russia’s tactics in that battle, including the use of ‘drones’ and dozens of aerial bombs to destroy Ukrainian positions in the city, have raised concerns that it could replicate the same methods elsewhere along the front line if Western help to support air defense systems and ammunition for long-range weapons and artillery do not arrive quickly.
The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24 last year, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since the Second World War (1939-1945).
Ukraine’s Western allies have supplied weapons to Kiev and approved successive sanctions packages against Russian interests to try to diminish Moscow’s ability to finance the war effort.
