The New Europe Center conducted an advocacy visit to the Netherlands on May 15 and 16, 2023.
The first scheduled meeting was held with former NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.
“We had a friendly and very frank conversation with former NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. It was during his secretaryship when the infamous decision was made at the Bucharest NATO Summit. Now we discussed how to avoid the mistakes made in Bucharest at the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius. And, of course, we also talked about the F-16,” commented Alyona Getmanchuk, the New Europe Center Director.
During the meeting with the Netherlands Defense Minister, Kaisa Ollongren, Ukrainian experts discussed the matter of providing military assistance. They also attempted to persuade Dutch partners on the importance of inviting Ukraine to NATO in July.
“We expressed gratitude to Kaisa Ollongren for her personal contribution to the fact that the Netherlands has actually entered the TOP-5 countries in terms of providing military support to Ukraine. Additionally, they are among the leaders in creating an F-16 coalition for Ukraine. I also presented her with arguments in favor of inviting Ukraine to NATO. We discussed all that we can do to achieve a quicker victory for Ukraine and establish lasting peace, which are equivalent concepts for us,” said Alyona Getmanchuk.
The second day of the visit was filled with various activities. A round table was conducted at the esteemed think tank, The Clingendael Institute, which is a partner of the New Europe Center. Dutch experts and journalists attended the event. Additionally, a discussion took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. The experts were also interviewed by local media.
The highlight of the day was the hearings in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament of the Netherlands. Initially, the Ukrainian delegation presented their case to the committee members and the chairman of the defense committee. Subsequently, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Wopke Hoekstra, also addressed the committee. The primary topics of discussion revolved around the provision of military aircraft, EU applications, and Ukraine’s membership in NATO.
“After two working days in the Netherlands, the conclusion is as follows: Ukraine receives substantial support in the military aspect, while the Dutch are exceedingly stringent regarding Ukraine’s accession to the EU. Furthermore, there is considerable skepticism regarding Ukraine’s rapid membership in NATO,” Alyona Getmanchuk summed up.
The advocacy visit to the Netherlands was organized by the New Europe Center in partnership with ICUV – International Center for Ukrainian Victory with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation.
