The Netherlands has become more cautious about sharing intelligence with the US over fears it could be “politicized” or used to help Russia, according to the heads of Dutch civilian and military intelligence.
The remarks came in a joint interview in Dutch outlet de Volkskrant with Erik Akerboom, director-general of the AIVD domestic intelligence service, and Peter Reesink, director of the MIVD military intelligence agency.
Akerboom and Reesink indicated in the comments published on Saturday that sharing intelligence about Russia with the US may be dealt with on a case-by-case basis in future as a more wary climate takes hold in US President Donald Trump’s second term.
“That will be weighed,” Reesink said in response to a question about whether the US would be made party to Russia-related information in cases where it was uncertain what would happen with it.
“It’s true that we make that assessment and sometimes we don’t share things anymore,” he said when asked if military intelligence services are more reluctant to exchange findings.
“We don’t judge what we see politically, but we look at our experiences with the services,” Akerboom added. “And we are very alert to the politicization of our intelligence and to human rights violations.”
“Sometimes you have to think case by case: can I still share this information or not?” the domestic intelligence chief said.
It was a rare admission of concern among European allies about Trump’s attitude towards intelligence, as well as the mercurial leader’s frequent pivots on Russia.
Reesnik told de Volkskrant that it was a source of “great sadness” when Trump fired National Security Agency chief Timothy Haugh in April. “We knew the man well,” he said.
Haugh was allegedly sacked due to “disloyalty” to the US president, according to US media reports.
“As a Biden appointee, General Haugh had no place serving in the Trump admin given the fact that he was HAND PICKED by General Milley, who was accused of committing treason by President Trump,” far-right activist Laura Loomer claimed on X at the time.
“Russia is learning from the war in Ukraine”
Reesnik and Akerboom also spoke at length about fears that Russia is using its experience in Ukraine to prepare for an expansion of the conflict with Europe.
“We see on the Russian side that they are learning very quickly from the war they are waging with Ukraine and have innovated enormously,” Reesink warned.
“They are making plans to strengthen and expand their army, navy, and air force. And they are capable of doing so, despite their current losses.”
“They are not making these plans because they want to defeat Ukraine, because that is going quite well for Russia as it is now,” the military intelligence chief claimed.
“I’d also like to add the Russian perspective: for them, it’s not just about Ukraine, but specifically about the conflict with the West,” Akerboom said.
“Yes, and it’s important to emphasize: Ukraine is fighting our fight. Russia is therefore tied to the fight there,” Reesink concurred.
“This is a double-edged sword: it’s not in a position to start a fight against NATO now, but it can learn from the current fight and see what’s needed on the battlefield. This gives the Russians, for example, a platform in their relationship with China, which can use this kind of information for its own military development.”
Russia is exploiting “the gray zone”
The heads of civilian and military intelligence said they face myriad threats in their work, including Russian aggression, Chinese espionage, an erratic and volatile US, right-wing extremism and more.
They warned that one of the most significant threats is that Russia will exploit the growing “insecurity” affecting the electorate in the Netherlands in the form of “instability, conflict, violence and the emotions that come with it.”
Akerboom said that there are misconceptions about what a war with Russia would look like, explaining that “it’s more about that uncertain intermediate phase that is important now and that the Russians are capitalizing on.”
“We’re dealing with an adversary who is quite effective at creating uncertainty in the gray zone,” he warned. “Being resilient to that requires not only investments in defense, but also in the effectiveness of the services.”
“A new boundary has been crossed”
This gray zone may necessitate the use of more “assertive” measures against Russia, the domestic intelligence service head said, even if this risks heightening tensions.
“Russian activities have escalated. It’s as if there’s a kind of dial that can be turned on and off,” Akerboom described. “Six months ago it was off and now it’s back on again. Physical violence, arson, everything in this spectrum is being used.”
“A new boundary has been crossed,” he asserted. “Attacks on individuals. Sabotage actually aimed at life. This is a truly significant increase.”
“What we see is that the Russians are willing to take more risks and also accept that these actions are seen as escalation,” Akeroboom described.
In the case of recent airspace violations, Reesink said, Europe needs to be “prepared to escalate” despite warnings from the Kremlin.
“If there’s such a violation of airspace as recently occurred in Estonia, you send a stronger message: you’re expected to turn back. And you also bear the consequences if that message isn’t heeded.”
Earlier this month, EU leaders announced plans to bolster the bloc’s defenses against Russian drones with a “drone wall” consisting of a network of sensors and weapons to detect, track and neutralize unmanned aircraft invading its airspace.