New Dutch prime minister visits Kyiv two weeks after taking office
Rob Jetten, the newly appointed prime minister of the Netherlands, paid his first official visit to Ukraine on March 8.
"It is a clear and powerful signal of the Dutch sustained political commitment and unwavering solidarity with Ukraine at a critical juncture of its struggle against Russia's unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression," a joint statement read.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a video of himself welcoming Jetten to Kyiv's Mariinsky Palace.
The Netherlands is a key supplier of weaponry and a zone of future "Build With Ukraine" arms co-production.
Zelensky said that he and the Dutch leader had discussed investments in arms production, its possible scope, and the licensing of weapons.
The two leaders condemned recent Russian attacks, including a strike on a residential building in Kharkiv that killed 11 people, including two children.
Zelensky and Jetten agreed that "Ukraine's security is inseparable from the security of Europe as a whole."
The 38-year-old Jetten took office on Feb. 23, making the trip to Kyiv one of his first in an official capacity. It comes just days after his first meeting with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
"The Netherlands has supported us from the first days of this war and in many measures. This is defense support, and help for our energy system, and support of sanctions against Russia, as well as political support for Ukraine," Zelensky wrote.
Mark Rutte, the longest-serving prime minister in Dutch history, left office in 2024, going on to become NATO's secretary general.
