New Delhi [India], March 18 : Netherlands Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans on Tuesday strongly condemned Russia's aggression in Ukraine, stating that it is "unacceptable" and violates every aspect of international law.
Highlighting that India, with its strong ties with Russia and good relations with Europe, could play a significant role in achieving a peaceful resolution
Speaking to ANI, he said, "Russian aggression is unacceptable. They are violating every aspect of international law... We need to come to a peace agreement, but through military strength in order to deter any future aggression by Russia, and India could play a role in this because of their strong ties with Russia and good relations with Europe,"
The Netherlands has been a strong supporter of Ukraine, and Brekelmans said that his country will continue to provide military support. "We have been one of the biggest supporters of Ukraine... Recently, we announced another USD 3.5 billion in military support to Ukraine," he said.
Brekelmans added, "We are actively engaged in robust peace about guarantees, so maybe there will be some European military presence in Ukraine..."
Earlier in the day, Brekelman also met with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, where he emphasized the potential for cooperation in defence industries, citing synergies between the Netherlands' strong navy and maritime sector and India's growing defence capabilities.
He said, "I have had a meeting with the (Indian) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today because we want to strengthen our relationship and create a strategic partnership between the two countries."
"If you look at our defence industries, there are some synergies, for example, we have a strong navy and maritime sector... We are both trading nations... The Netherlands is also strong in the semiconductor industry, AI, drone technology and quantum... We can both use these technologies to strengthen our defence sectors," he added.
He also expressed his admiration for India's manufacturing prowess, highlighting its potential to bolster military capabilities. "India's strength is its scale and that it can produce in huge numbers for a relatively small country," Brekelmans said, emphasizing the significance of India's large-scale production capabilities.
Further, he emphasized the importance of cooperation between India and the Netherlands in achieving a free and open Indo-Pacific. "As two trading nations with a shared interest, we need to work together on this, for example, vis a vis China, which is not always respecting international law at the ocean, there is a lot we can do together..."
Notably, the Raisina Dialogue, which is being held in Delhi from March 17-19, is hosted by the Observer Research Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs. It is India's premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community.
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