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Dutch Defense Minister Kaisa Ollongren reported on Monday that her country has decided to extend the period of its military presence in Lithuania for an additional two years.
Ollongren explained that the Netherlands’ decision is part of NATO’s two-year program to “contain Russia.”
The Dutch Ministry of Defense stated in a statement: “The Netherlands will continue to send its army to Lithuania to participate in the NATO mission until the end of 2026 to contain Russia, and Minister Kasa Ollongren informed the House of Representatives of this in an official statement.”
“This is an important signal to our allies and Russia that our soldiers here are making a decisive contribution to deterrence and defense,” the ministry quoted Ollongren as saying.
The maximum number of Dutch soldiers participating in the NATO eFP mission in Eastern Europe is still 350 soldiers.
The Netherlands has been participating in the NATO mission in Lithuania since February 9, 2017, and there are currently between 270 and 300 Dutch soldiers in Lithuania, while Germany, Belgium, Norway and the Czech Republic are also participating in this alliance program.
Dutch media reported earlier that the Dutch House of Representatives called on the government to study the issue of permanently stationing Dutch forces in Eastern Europe (Lithuania).
According to Dutch representatives, there is “a great need for the continued presence of allies in the Baltic countries and Poland to contain Russia.”