The Netherlands will “substantially contribute” to delivering American Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said on Monday during an online meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
The country is also preparing to send additional air defense equipment from its own stockpiles, including ammunition for F-16 fighter jets, counter-drone technology, and radar systems.
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“With defense ministers, we are digitally discussing support for Ukraine. The Netherlands will substantially contribute to the delivery of American air defense (Patriots). Details will be worked out soon,” Brekelmans wrote on X.
“We are also supplying more air defense ourselves: F16 munitions, counter-drones, radars, etc,” he added.
Met defensieministers spreken we digitaal over steun aan Oekraïne.
Nederland zal substantieel bijdragen aan levering van Amerikaanse luchtverdediging (Patriots). Details worden snel uitgewerkt.
Ook leveren wij zelf meer luchtafweer: F16-munitie, counter-drones, radars etc. 🇳🇱🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/AK5Le5nXRn
— Ruben Brekelmans (@DefensieMin) July 21, 2025
The Dutch Ministry of Defense later confirmed the information on its official website. According to the Ministry’s press release, Brekelmans stressed the importance of helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian attacks.
He said that only strong and steady assistance to Ukraine, combined with more pressure on Russia, can push Moscow to negotiate peace.
“The Russian airborne terror campaign has reached new lows daily. The Russian goal is simple: to bring the steadfast Ukrainians to their knees. We cannot allow this to happen,” Brekelmans said at the meeting.
Brekelmans added that Europe’s support is crucial, noting that Ukraine is protecting the whole continent.
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Senator Cornyn: “Authoritarian regimes like Russia and China threaten the universal ideals that bond democracies together, and it’s imperative we stand united in our support for the Ukrainian people.”
“Ukraine protects the frontline against Russian aggression for all of Europe,” he said. “If Russia can break through, it immediately poses a greater threat to the rest of Europe and NATO.”
Earlier, the Netherlands supplied Ukraine 24 F-16 fighters, munitions, spare parts, anti-aircraft guns, I-HAWK systems, and drone detection radars. Ukraine also received naval ships equipped with air defense tools.
Kyiv has appealed for Patriot systems for months as Moscow ramped up its aerial assaults – including a record strike consisting of more than 700 drones in a single day earlier this month.
On July 14, US President Donald Trump announced that the US and NATO allies had agreed on a deal to send American weapons to Ukraine, with alliance members covering the costs. The next day, he said missiles for Ukraine’s Patriot systems were already being shipped from Germany.
He added that Europe and NATO would fully reimburse the US for all costs, saying, “We’re always getting our money back in full. So we’re not going to have any more investments to make.”
Germany has become one of the key supporters of the plan, even though Berlin was initially skeptical, citing that its own stockpiles of the system were insufficient for national defense.
On Monday, July 21, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said ahead of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group (UDCG) “Ramstein” meeting that Germany had agreed with the US to send five Patriot systems to Ukraine. It was unclear if these systems would come from Germany’s own stockpile.
Pistorius said Berlin would work with partners “in a spirit of mutual trust” in the coming days to finalize the details of the transfer.