Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans stated that Ukraine currently has the most powerful, and, in many aspects, the most innovative army in Europe.
He made the statement in an interview with Ukrinform.
“At this point, I believe it is the most powerful military in Europe. Ukraine has been fighting a large-scale war for over three years, innovating rapidly and doing so on a daily basis. The military has fully developed new methods of operation and applies them continuously. This is, of course, different from other European militaries, which are mostly focused on training, conducting exercises, and participating in missions in some parts of the world — but not on such a large scale and not with the same pace of innovation,” Brekelmans said.
“On the other hand, we also see areas that are still developing. Take, for example, the Air Force: Ukraine still operates from a more Soviet background and is now transitioning to NATO standards. There are also parts of the military where this development still needs to take place. Of course, we can help with that — and we are. But overall, I believe that at this point, Ukraine has the largest, most powerful, and in some ways, the most innovative military in Europe,” he added.
He also spoke about investments in drone production under the Drone Line initiative, which brings together four Ukrainian companies.
“So, we want to invest quite a lot in the Ukrainian industry. For example, we invested in the Drone Line initiative, which is a big project consisting of four Ukrainian drone manufacturers producing drones needed at the frontline. We are signing contracts with these four Ukrainian companies to make these drones. But we want to do more with the Ukrainian industry. As the Netherlands, we invest directly in Ukrainian companies and entrepreneurs,” Brekelmans explained.
He added that the possibility of creating joint ventures in the Netherlands is also under consideration, due to Russian attacks on production facilities in Ukraine.
“Mr. Umerov also said that Ukraine wants to reduce these vulnerabilities and ensure there are alternative production sites in other parts of Europe. So, we are not only looking to invest more inside Ukraine, but also considering whether part of the production can take place in the Netherlands, possibly through joint ventures between Ukrainian and Dutch companies,” the minister said.
As reported by Ukrinform, the Netherlands will provide Ukraine with a €400 million aid package, including over one hundred ships and maritime drones.
Source: In many aspects, Ukrainian army most innovative in Europe, Dutch DM says
