On his first day in office Monday, new Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, assuring him that the Netherlands would continue its support for Ukraine.
In a video of the call shared by Jetten on social media, Zelensky thanked the Netherlands for its steadfast support since the start of the war and invited him to visit Kyiv.
Jetten, for his part, praised Kyiv and the resilience of the Ukrainian people, recalling impressions from his previous visit to Ukraine.
“It was very impressive to meet a lot of Ukrainian people that are so resilient and have been so resilient over the past years of Russian aggression.” Jetten said. “And it strengthens me in my belief that you are fighting not only for your own safety and freedom, but also for European values.”
New coalition
Jetten, 38, becomes the youngest prime minister in Dutch history.
As leader of the social-liberal Democrats 66 (D66), he heads a rare minority coalition with the liberal-conservative People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the Christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA).
The minority coalition became necessary after efforts to secure a fourth partner for a majority collapsed: The VVD blocked cooperation with the social-democratic Labour Party (PvdA), while D66 faced insurmountable hurdles in talks with the conservative-liberal Juist Antwoord 2021 (JA21).
Plans of the new government
The new government plans to raise defense spending to 3.5% of GDP, resolve the nitrogen crisis with €20 billion ($24 billion) in targeted funding, impose a strict migration policy and accelerate the construction of new housing with a focus on affordability.
The coalition has also proposed tax increases and spending cuts to social programs, including a “freedom contribution” levy and a wealth tax on assets. The planned reductions in social welfare and the new wealth tax have already sparked considerable debate.
Support for Ukraine
The Netherlands ranks among Ukraine’s top bilateral supporters, having committed over €10 billion ($12 billion) in total aid, according to the Kiel Institute’s Ukraine Support Tracker.
The Netherlands and Ukraine also collaborate on drone production. In the newly released coalition agreement, the Netherlands commits to ongoing support for Ukraine, including multi-year military and financial assistance. The coalition supports using frozen Russian assets to fund this aid and endorses Ukraine’s accession to NATO and the EU, provided it meets the established criteria for membership.
Political situation and outlook
The Dutch political climate has grown increasingly unstable. Over the past 25 years, only one coalition has completed its full four-year term.
The number of political parties has also risen steadily, while the larger parties have seen their seat shares decline.
A minority coalition is a rare arrangement in Dutch politics. The current partners turned to it out of necessity after failing to secure a majority. As a result, they will have to seek opposition support on a case-by-case basis – a dynamic that could make it especially difficult to push through contentious measures such as budget cuts.
For Ukraine, the outlook appears more favorable: a parliamentary majority backs continued aid to the country.