''Ukraine must not be a footnote during the Dutch parliamentary elections''

The war in Ukraine should play a much bigger role during the Dutch parliamentary elections. That is the argument made by Yf Reykers, Associate Professor of International Relations at Maastricht University, in De Limburger. According to Reykers, what happens on the eastern flank of Europe is also of great importance to the Dutch.

Reykers: “During the night of September 9 to 10, Polish and Dutch fighter jets shot down Russian drones that had entered Polish airspace. Never before had NATO aircraft neutralized hostile targets over their own territory. Shortly afterward, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated Estonian airspace. These actions fit into a deliberate Russian strategy: to test NATO and reinforce the impression that Russia has the upper hand in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukraine continue.

What happens on Europe’s eastern flank is also of great importance to us and should play a key role in the Dutch parliamentary elections. Of course, many people in the Netherlands are more concerned about the housing shortage or affordable healthcare, but ignoring Ukraine in these elections would be a mistake. Without a strong Ukraine, the Netherlands is also less safe, and Russian provocations in Poland have direct consequences for our country as well.”

 Read the entire article (in Dutch) on the website of Studio Europa Maastricht.