The participation of the Netherlands in the program was already resumed in 2021. Now this decision has been made again, because the Russian threat has grown even more since then.
The Netherlands will continue to participate in NATO’s enhanced forward presence (eFP) mission in Lithuania until the end of 2026 to deter Russia. This was announced on Monday, May 6, by the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands.
It is indicated that between 270 and 300 Dutch soldiers will be stationed in Lithuania.
“The purpose of the mission in Lithuania is to show the population that NATO is ready. It is also an important signal to our allies and Russia. Our soldiers here are making a decisive contribution to deterrence and defense. Together we will keep Europe is safe,” said the country’s Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren.
The Netherlands has been participating in the joint battalion under German command since February 9, 2017. The previous decision to extend the mission was made in 2021. In addition to the Netherlands, Germany (560 military personnel), Belgium (200) , Norway (140) and the Czech Republic (36) are participants.
Earlier, the Dutch Minister of Defense announced that his country plans to begin transferring F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in the fall. It will happen after Denmark.
We remind you that in the summer Lithuania will host the largest military exercise in the country’s history, aimed at training the armed forces of various countries and strengthening the military response to ensure freedom of expression navigation and security in the Baltic Sea.
It was also reported that the aggressor country Russia will conduct military exercises using non-strategic nuclear weapons.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.