Dutch defense minister pledges $440M for drone action plan with Ukraine

Kyiv, Ukraine — 

Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said connected a astonishment sojourn to Kyiv connected Sunday that his state volition put 400 cardinal euros ($440 million) successful precocious drone improvement with Ukraine and present much F-16s successful the coming months.

More than 2-1/2 years since the commencement of the Russian full-scale invasion, Ukraine is warring to thwart Russia's troops arsenic they inch guardant successful the eastbound and onslaught captious infrastructure up of the wintertime months.

"The war, of course, is intensifying each day, and Ukraine is mounting up much brigades who each request support, who each request subject equipment. We request to person this continuous travel of support," Brekelmans told Reuters successful Kyiv.

The drone enactment program volition harvester Ukraine's innovation and Dutch cognition to amended exertion utilized connected the battlefield, helium said.

"We volition absorption connected antithetic types of drones, truthful some surveillance drones, much antiaircraft drones, but besides the onslaught drones, due to the fact that we spot that Ukraine needs those much violative drones besides to people subject facilities," Brekelmans said.

Around fractional of the concern volition beryllium spent successful the Netherlands, portion the remainder volition beryllium divided betwixt Ukraine and different countries, helium added.

If the developed drones are successful, much backing volition beryllium disposable to standard up production, according to the defence minister.

The Netherlands has pledged 10 cardinal euros ($11 billion) successful subject enactment for Ukraine since the opening of the Russian penetration and spent astir 4 cardinal euros ($4.4 billion) truthful far.

Air defense

After visiting the metropolis of Kharkiv, pummeled by Russian glide bombs Saturday,

Brekelmans said attacking subject targets successful Russia was the lone mode to support the city.

Ukraine has asked its partners to springiness it support to usage their weapons to onslaught targets heavy successful Russia and supply it with much aerial defenses.

The Netherlands has contributed to its aerial defence enactment by driving planetary partners to proviso Ukraine with F-16 jets and pledging 24 of them.

The archetypal batch of planes from the Netherlands is already operating successful Ukrainian airspace, according to the minister, portion the others volition beryllium delivered "in the upcoming months and possibly opening of adjacent year."

The state is besides delivering reserve parts, ammunition and substance for jets arsenic it seeks to grow aviator grooming opportunities done gathering with spouse countries and backstage assemblage players similar Lockheed Martin to support jets operational, helium said.

The Netherlands has besides announced a program to assemble a Patriot air-defense strategy for Ukraine relying connected parts from antithetic countries, but Brekelmans said it had struggled to root immoderate parts.

He said Ukraine was already utilizing 1 Dutch-supplied Patriot radar and "three launchers are going to beryllium delivered precise soon."