War efforts

Just Peace

The Netherlands provides military support such as equipment and training to Ukraine. We do so because of our unwavering support for a free, independent and sovereign Ukraine. As an embassy we are often the linking pin between the involved ministries in our countries. Our support for Ukraine has been anchored in our bilateral security agreement. 

Besides military support we also contribute to Ukraine’s resilience via our cybersecurity support as one of the members of the Tallinn Mechanism. Furthermore we have an extended mine action portfolio that equips and trains different outfits to work towards a mine and explosive free Ukraine. Through our diverse project portfolio, we also work on the rehabilitation and reintegration of veterans. In our work we always aim to empower Ukrainian women and ensure that UN Security Council resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security is an integral part of our work. 
As an embassy we participate in all of the Ukrainian Peace Formula working groups – and are lead nation on point 7 (Restoring Justice). We contribute to policy discussions regarding numerous peace and security topics. We do so because we believe Ukraine is fighting for the freedom and security of the whole European continent. 

Accountability

With its ongoing aggression in Ukraine, Russia is violating the elementary principles of international law. As Netherlands, we value great importance to justice and we are working on holding the perpetrators of war crimes accountable. As such, we are the co-lead on point 7 of Zelensky’s Peace Formula (restoring justice). Our priorities in the field of accountability are restoring justice, stopping Russian impunity and compensation for the damages. 
Via various projects, we support the Ukrainian judicial sector with knowledge, skills and capacity. We have send several forensic missions under the flag of the ICC to investigate war crimes and we support the training and education of public prosecutors. 

Reconstruction

The early reconstruction of Ukraine is one of the embassy spearhead priorities, aiming to stimulate the Build Back Better approach. Our colleagues advise on reconstruction packages and are engaged with our partners in Ukraine about their needs and opportunities. One of our support programs is the Ukraine Partnership Facility from the RVO. Together with our headquarters we work on finding solutions to engage the Dutch private sector in the reconstruction and recovery of Ukraine.  

Energy

Russia is trying to inflict great damage on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, destroying the economy and breaking the morale of the population. 61% of the electric generation capacity was destroyed and about half of the distribution capacity. Russia is still attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure.  

Electricity is a basic necessity for Ukraine’s economy and a society. Without electricity, street lights no longer work; there is no running water; no heating. In order to still have electricity, there was and is a great need for replacement equipment for the things that are damaged or irreparably broken. In some cases just components, in other cases completely new goods. And also (diesel) generators, so that even if the electricity fails, power can still be generated.

To help Ukraine, the Netherlands supplies in-kind products to Ukraine. That is, at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate, colleagues can see what Ukraine needs based on information supplied by Ukraine. We mediate between Dutch energy companies to see who has those items and would be willing to supply them. If that is the case, the Ministry purchases the goods and delivers them to Ukraine with EU assistance.

EU integration

On 28 February 2022, Ukraine applied for European Union (EU) membership. In June that year, the European Council granted Ukraine the status of candidate for accession to the EU. In December 2024, EU leaders agreed to start accession talks with Ukraine. As embassy, we are committed to help Ukraine on their path to a European future. We closely monitor the ongoing developments and inform our headquarters in The Hague and our colleagues in Brussels about Ukraine’s implementation progress on the requested reform and subsequent accession process. In order to do that, our colleagues are in continued interaction with Ukrainian actors about EU integration. We also assist Ukraine with the accession process via diplomatic trainings on negotiation. 

Culture

Like every sector, the cultural sector also faces the consequences of the full-scale invasion. Many cultural organizations and institutions have disappeared and the sector is facing many challenges. The Russian war of aggression is also described as a culture war because of their denial of Ukraine's right to exist. Since 2023, Ukraine has been added as a priority country to Dutch cultural policy, meaning more resources have been made available for cultural cooperation between the Netherlands and Ukraine. The embassy looks at where Ukrainian needs lie and is committed to contribute to the protection and restoration of Ukrainian culture and heritage. Furthermore we strive to strengthen Ukrainian identity through culture and help contributing to provide society with a diverse cultural offering.