Dutch defence minister pledges 400m euros for drone action plan with Ukraine

KYIV: Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans said on a surprise visit to Kyiv on Sunday that his country will invest 400 million euros ($440 million) in advanced drone development with Ukraine and deliver more F-16s in the coming months.

More than 2-1/2 years since the start of the Russian full-scale invasion, Ukraine is fighting to thwart Russia’s troops as they inch forward in the east and attack critical infrastructure ahead of the winter months.

“The war, of course, is intensifying every day, and Ukraine is setting up more brigades who all need support, who all need military equipment. We need to have this continuous flow of support,” Brekelmans told Reuters in Kyiv.

The drone action plan will combine Ukraine’s innovation and Dutch knowledge to improve technology used on the battlefield, he said.

“We will focus on different types of drones, so both surveillance drones, more defensive drones, but also the attack drones, because we see that Ukraine needs those more offensive drones also to target military facilities,” Brekelmans said.

Around half of the investment will be spent in the Netherlands, while the rest will be split between Ukraine and other countries, he added.