Defense Minister of the Netherlands Kajsa Ollongren has announced that the Netherlands is contributing more than EUR 200 million to new initiatives for the rapid delivery of additional air defense and artillery ammunition for Ukraine, the Dutch Defense Ministry said on Friday.

"Air defense equipment and artillery ammunition are desperately needed in Ukraine. The situation threatens to become critical. The resources to which the Netherlands is now contributing are already on the European continent and will go to Ukraine as quickly as possible. We must now all do everything we can to support Ukraine," she said during an online meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council.

In particular, the Netherlands is allocating EUR 150 million to contribute to the German Immediate Action for Air Defense initiative, which is intended to quickly deliver long-range air defense assets, together with partners. In addition, the Defense Ministry is allocating EUR 60 million for the purchase of short-range air defense equipment which can be used to combat drone attacks, among other things.

The Netherlands is contributing to the Estonian initiative to quickly supply artillery ammunition to Ukraine from existing stocks. This is desperately needed to counter the increased Russian pressure on the front. The Netherlands previously announced that it would contribute EUR 250 million to a similar Czech plan to quickly supply more grenades.