Trouble with Ukraine from Dutch election results

According to a recent commentary by the Kyiv Post (kyivpost.com-Ukraine), with its far-right stance skeptical of the EU, the victory of the new Dutch leader could mean the end of aid to Ukraine and become an unprecedented obstacle to both the EU and its long-standing policies.

A hardline anti-EU advocate calling for a “sovereign Netherlands,” Geert Wilders and his far-right PVV Freedom Party have just won the Dutch elections, gaining 37 seats in the Dutch Parliament.

Mr Wilders and his PVV party operate under an anti-immigrant – and particularly anti-Islam – banner and reject the idea of ​​a single European body, instead advocating “a Netherlands responsible for its own currency, its own borders and making its own rules”.

While anti-immigration policies with anti-Muslim stances are likely to affect immigrants and refugees from Africa and Asia, its impact on Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands remains uncertain.

The PVV also calls for a referendum on the Netherlands leaving the EU and ending its financial contributions to the bloc. The PVV also rejects further EU enlargement and wants to restore its veto power in Brussels.

As Ukraine's EU accession talks prepare to begin, Mr Wilders' victory could be a setback to Ukraine's chances of gaining a foothold in the upcoming negotiations.

The Netherlands has also been one of Ukraine's biggest military partners since the conflict with Russia broke out.

The Netherlands - along with Denmark - is the first country to supply F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, a move that could dramatically change the battlefield as the war becomes a stalemate unless a technical and technological breakthrough is achieved, according to a statement by Ukraine's top commander.

Since Mr Wilders and the PVV have long opposed military aid to Ukraine, their victory could also affect Ukraine’s defense capabilities. However, the military aid situation remains uncertain, as the PVV still needs to form a coalition government and no party opposes military aid to Ukraine.

One potential scenario could be that the Dutch government would continue to provide military and financial aid to Ukraine but at a reduced level.

Mr Wilders has previously said the West should have blocked Ukraine from joining NATO. He also said “sanctions against Russia are ineffective and also harmful to the Netherlands”. In 2016, Mr Wilders said “no” to the Association Treaty between Ukraine and the EU.