Prime Minister of Netherlands Rutte called on his fellow citizens to prepare to tighten their belts for Ukraine's victory: "This is practically our war". VIDEO
The Netherlands must do everything possible without crossing the "red line" for Ukraine to win the war against Russia, and in the process, the peoples of Europe may have to bear the costs, including financial.
The Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte warned about this after a weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers, Censor.NET reports with reference to LigaBusinessInform.
He was asked whether the people of the Netherlands were "slowly but surely becoming more involved in the war, which is not necessarily his war."
Rutte noted that "we are doing everything possible so that Ukraine can win." He said the "red line" was that NATO was not in direct conflict with Russia, "but otherwise we are doing everything possible with financial and military support, as well as with very heavy weapons systems."
"The Netherlands in this regard [the supply of heavy weapons] is clearly ahead. It was confirmed again this week. <...> There are not many heavy systems, but we are doing it because this is our war. If something will go wrong and we allow Putin to occupy Ukraine, what's next? In fact, it is a direct threat to our security," he said.
Rutte warned that it was important for the people of his country to be willing to "bear the costs".
"They also affect our wallets. But we must do it for our security and our freedom," he said.
Speaking at a news conference later, Rutte said: "It is not formal that we are at war with Russia, it is not. But it is practically our war as well. Ukraine must win, it is really important. In any case, we must do everything possible to bring them closer to this victory. "
