Netherlands increasing defense spending not because US wants, but country needs it: Foreign minister

Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen on Tuesday said that the Netherlands has been increasing defense spending not because the US wanted it to, but because the country itself needed to.

Bredsen's remarks came during a panel titled "Turning the Tables: Ukraine as a Security Provider for Europe" held as part of the Allies in Ankara program, organized in cooperation with the country's Communications Directorate, the Munich Security Conference, and the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), an Ankara-based think tank.

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmar Stenergard and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also attended the panel at Ankara Palas.

Calling Russia a "major threat to Europe and NATO," Bredsen said that Ukraine's fight is "our fight."

He urged support for Ukraine to be increased along with the pressure on Russia and expressed the Netherlands' readiness to assume responsibility in efforts to reach peace talks.

Stenergard, for her part, described Ukraine's support as insufficient, stressing the need for increased financial assistance.

She noted that although the population of the Nordic countries accounts for only a small portion of NATO’s total population, these countries provide one-third of the support given to Ukraine.

“If other countries had done as much as we have, the war would have ended long ago,” she said.

Stenergard underlined that Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction would be of great importance in sustaining peace and reiterated that pressure and sanctions against Russia should be increased.

Sybiha said that in the first months of the war, Ukraine had faced great difficulty in receiving support from its partners, while noting that his country had demonstrated resilience.

“It was a huge mistake that we did not fight when Crimea was occupied,” Sybiha said, describing the mistake as “historic.”

“We are ready for an unconditional ceasefire. We will never be an obstacle to peace. We want peace. We have viable proposals,” Sybiha said.

The Ukrainian foreign minister said it would be unrealistic to end the war without the US’ contribution to the process.

Sybiha said that, if peace is achieved, the US must provide legally binding bilateral security guarantees.

He added that if any development undermines peace, military support on the ground, Ukraine’s membership in the European Union, and the strengthening of the Ukrainian army as a deterrent would be of critical importance.