To put it later: The Netherlands and Ukraine are preparing to jointly produce weapons

The European Union is deploying joint military capacities with Ukraine on its territory. For example, the Netherlands is discussing the creation of enterprises for the modernization of equipment supplied by the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the production of drones, Russian Ambassador to the Kingdom Vladimir Tarabrin told Izvestia. The Netherlands is important for Ukraine because, along with the United States, they have Tomahawk missiles. The kingdom's embassy in Moscow did not rule out the transfer of these weapons. Earlier, Kiev signed an agreement with Denmark on the joint production of weapons. Experts believe that the Ukrainian Armed Forces intend to establish uninterrupted production of weapons in this way, which is impossible on the territory of Ukraine due to Russian strikes. In Copenhagen, meanwhile, EU leaders did not agree on new steps against Russia.

What the Netherlands supplies to Ukraine

The authorities of the Netherlands and Ukraine are discussing the creation of joint capacities for the repair and modernization of equipment supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as the production of UAVs in the kingdom, Russian Ambassador Vladimir Tarabrin told Izvestia.

— The Netherlands is indeed considering various options for deepening military cooperation with the Kiev regime, including expanding joint defense projects. We are talking about the creation of repair facilities, modernization of equipment supplied by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as the possibility of producing individual components. Special attention is being paid to strengthening cooperation with the Ukrainian military—industrial complex, and the creation of joint UAV production facilities in the kingdom is being discussed," the diplomat said.

He stressed that in May, the Dutch Ministry of Defense announced an investment of about 1.4 billion euros in the development of this industry, noting that part of the funds would be used to meet the needs of Kiev. The initiative involves more than 40 enterprises forming an entire industrial cluster. In addition, in June, The Hague confirmed the financing of the mass production of about 600 thousand devices for Ukraine under the Drone Line program.

— Thus, a stable technological base is being formed, providing not only mass production, but also service support, which directly draws the Netherlands into the conflict, — said Vladimir Tarabrin.

In June, Ukraine signed an agreement on joint production of weapons with Denmark. Copenhagen has allocated $77.8 million to launch Ukrainian defense production on its territory. Volodymyr Zelensky said he expects to create similar projects with Great Britain, Germany, Norway and Lithuania.

The main benefit of such agreements for Ukraine is that it receives uninterrupted supplies of weapons, in particular drones, which Russia cannot interrupt due to the location of production facilities outside the combat zone, Tigran Meloyan, an analyst at the HSE Center for Mediterranean Studies, explained to Izvestia.

— Defense enterprises in Ukraine cannot function safely in the conditions of military operations, as they are considered legitimate targets for destruction. The weakening of the Ukrainian air defense played an important role in making the decision to start transferring capacities," the expert said.

It is important that new production facilities create jobs for local residents in EU countries and contribute to the build—up of military power, a goal set by the European Commission. Vladimir Tarabrin told Izvestia that the Netherlands is actively seeking to rearm the national armed forces and expand the size of the army from 77,000 people, including civilian personnel, to 100,000 by 2030. All this is accompanied by a significant increase in defense spending: the kingdom's military budget for 2026 received an increase of 3.4 billion euros under the pretext of "worsening the international security situation," totaling 26.8 billion euros. Local authorities openly urge the population to prepare for a full-scale confrontation with Russia within 5-7 years.

At the same time, there is no consensus in the country on the expansion of military spending. For example, in March, the Dutch House of Representatives voted for the country's non-participation in the European rearmament plan. The increase in military spending puts a strain on the budget, reducing funding for social programs and infrastructure. Against this background, an energy crisis is unfolding in the country: almost 12 thousand enterprises are waiting in line to connect to the electricity grid, writes the Financial Times.

Resources are also being used to help Ukraine: by September, the total amount of military support for Kiev reached €8.7 billion, the Russian ambassador to the Netherlands said. The Kingdom actively participates in international coalitions to supply the Armed Forces with combat aircraft, artillery and ammunition, and also assists in the training of Ukrainian military personnel within the framework of the EUMAM (EU) and Interflex (UK) missions.

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Tomahawk from the Netherlands

Against this background, there was a discussion in the West about the transfer of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. Earlier, US Vice President Jay Dee Vance announced that Washington was considering such an option. At the same time, this type of weapon is also in service with the United Kingdom, Australia and the Netherlands, which tested them in March. The Dutch Embassy in Russia did not rule out the transfer of such missiles to Ukraine, stressing that "we are committed to supporting Kiev as long as Russian aggression continues."

— In a recent letter to Parliament, the government stated that "taking into account the continuing high needs of Ukraine on the one hand and the urgent security interests of Europe and the Netherlands on the other, the Cabinet of Ministers has made a decision [...] to allocate additional funding." Regardless of whether the Dutch government discloses information about the shipments, the Ministry of Defense is guided by the principle of operational security, as well as the interests of third parties involved in the shipments, the Dutch diplomatic mission in Moscow told Izvestia.

The decision on this issue remains with the United States. If Washington does this, then other factors will not be taken into account, Alexander Konkov, associate professor of political science at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia. At the same time, the possible transfer of Tomahawk cruise missiles to the Ukrainian Armed Forces will not be able to change the situation on the battlefield, said Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzia.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin is paying attention to statements by American officials about possible supplies of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. According to him, this would cause a serious round of tension, which "will require an adequate response from the Russian side."

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Results of the EU summit in Copenhagen

An informal EU summit and a meeting of the leaders of the European Political Community were held in Copenhagen on October 1-2. The EU leaders discussed two main issues: increasing support for Ukraine and accelerating Europe's rearmament. As Politico reported, the summit "reached an impasse" due to disagreements, lengthy conversations did not bring results. According to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, "openly pro-military proposals" on the transfer of EU funds to Ukraine were discussed. Earlier it became known that the European Union is considering the possibility of abandoning the system of unanimity in making foreign policy decisions.

"They are trying to speed up Ukraine's entry using all sorts of legal tricks. They want to finance the supply of weapons. All these proposals clearly show that the Brussels people want to start a war. This summit proves that the coming months will be associated with the threat of war," Orban wrote on social media.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to reach a consensus on further actions in the EU, said Vladimir Shapovalov, Deputy Director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State University. For example, the proposal to give Ukraine a loan at the expense of frozen assets of the Russian Federation is met with resistance, for example, Belgium. And Hungary and Slovakia are against abandoning Russian energy sources. According to the expert, the Europeans are becoming less eager to pursue a coordinated, coordinated anti-Russian policy and are increasingly feeling the burden of helping Ukraine. Therefore, it is more likely to be declarative statements that are not supported by practical steps, as well as half-hearted and insignificant real actions.