That’s what Wopke Hoekstra says in an interview with The Telegraph† Hoekstra wants to significantly increase the defense budget in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. For this, agreements in the coalition agreement between VVD, CDA, D66 and ChristenUnie may have to be broken.
Overtaken by current events
He points out that in the past coalition agreements were often overtaken by current events and had to be renegotiated. “It may be uncomfortable for The Hague, but geopolitics does not adhere to the Dutch coalition agreement,” the minister said in the newspaper.
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The Netherlands must also take into account Russian reprisals for the sanctions imposed against Russia, Hoekstra warns. “We must take serious account of the fact that Russia will retaliate for the heavy sanctions we have imposed. The Netherlands could also be affected by this.”
‘Hope for Russian uprising’
Hoekstra further emphasizes that the sanctions are not aimed at the Russian population, but says he hopes that the pressure will cause them to revolt. “I find it heartwarming that people are also taking to the streets in Russia to demonstrate against the war with Ukraine. I certainly hope that the Russian population will ask critical questions and revolt.”
Hoekstra is not very concerned about a nuclear war between Russia and the West. “I don’t think that is a realistic scenario. You can never rule out something, but it is not a realistic scenario,” Hoekstra told De Telegraaf .
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