© Thomas Niedermueller/Getty ImagesDutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren
Ollongren was asked whether the US and its allies can continue supporting Ukraine "for as long as it takes," given the political in-fighting in Washington.
"We cannot pretend that we'll just wait and see how the American elections are going," she said. "Because they have the same interest, in a way. Of course, supporting Ukraine is a very cheap way to make sure that Russia with this regime is not a threat to the NATO alliance. And it's vital to continue that support."
"It is very much in our interest to support Ukraine, because they are fighting this war, we are not fighting it," Ollongren noted, while admitting that NATO has "skin in the game."
Ollongren explained that she had recently visited the US and that political developments there are cause for concern, but that Western Europeans need to talk with their American colleagues and persuade them to stay the course.
"I think that we are capable of a lot, and we have proven that in the past year and a half, and the only thing we have to do is keep it up," the minister said, adding that the scale of military assistance to Kiev has surprised Ukraine, Russia, and even NATO itself.
The US and its allies have channeled a large amount of money, weapons, ammunition, and supplies to Ukraine since the conflict with Russia escalated in February 2022.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell revealed earlier this week that the bloc has sent Ukraine €85 billion ($89.8 billion) so far, of which more than €25 billion was military aid.
The most recent estimates of US spending were from the end of July, and amounted to $46.6 billion in military aid, $3.9 billion in humanitarian aid, and $26.4 billion in loans and cash payments to keep the government in Kiev going.
Moscow has repeatedly warned that the deliveries of heavy weapons and other aid are tantamount to direct involvement in the hostilities. Washington and Brussels, however, insist they are not actually a party to the conflict. Russia has said that foreign weapons will not change the course of the fighting and will not deter Moscow from achieving its goals in Ukraine.
Russian officials have cited NATO's expansion eastward as one of the root causes of its conflict with Ukraine and the standoff with the West.
Reader Comments
You English voted for them, you deserve them.
We haven’t voted for these parasites and vermin, so why should we face abject poverty , starvation of our weak old and infirm. Fuel poverty killing our old.
And the English want more of the same! Beggars belief. But the exact same is happening to English families that’s how racism greed and bigotry builds the English “culture”.
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Russian minister of defence Sergej Shoigu. Military experience - general of the army. You got a be joking. It looks like EU policy are in the hands of premature rich brats who haven't given up their toys yet.
Doesn't she realize that Holland is a small country, below sea level, and if there is a war with Russia and the Russians drop a 50-megaton bomb in the Atlantic, she and all her people will be shark bait?
Why doesn't she just go home and kick the dog for fun?