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WASHINGTON (AP) — Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Tuesday that his state plans to “join” the U.S. and Germany’s efforts to bid and limb Ukraine with precocious Patriot defence systems.
Rutte signaled the Netherlands’ intentions astatine the commencement of a White House gathering with President Joe Biden. The Dutch defence ministry said that Rutte’s announcement came aft Ukraine had asked the Netherlands to supply “Patriot capacity.”
“We person the volition to articulation what you are doing with Germany connected the Patriot project,” Rutte told Biden. “I deliberation that it’s important we articulation that.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said successful his nightly code that the Netherlands had agreed to nonstop Ukraine a Patriot battery. “So, determination are present 3 guaranteed batteries. But this is lone the beginning. We are moving connected caller solutions to fortify our aerial defense,” Zelenskyy said.
Rutte, who said helium besides spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz connected Tuesday astir the imaginable assistance, was much vague astir the committedness successful his nationalist comments. He told Dutch broadcaster NOS that his authorities is successful talks astir what precisely it tin contribute. The Dutch subject has 4 Patriot systems, 1 of which is not successful service, according to the defence ministry.
“The thought is not lone training, but besides equipment,” Rutte told NOS. He added that the Dutch subject is present reviewing “what precisely we have, however tin we guarantee that it works good with the American and German systems.”
He added during a forum astatine Georgetown University that the determination was a designation that “we each person to bash more” arsenic Ukraine enters a captious signifier successful the war.
Rutte spoke astir the imaginable assistance arsenic Ukrainian troops arrived astatine Oklahoma’s Fort Sill Army basal to statesman grooming connected operating and maintaining the Patriot rocket defence system. The Patriot is the astir precocious surface-to-air rocket strategy the West has provided to Ukraine to assistance repel Russian aerial attacks.
Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said that grooming volition past for respective months, and bid 90 to 100 Ukrainian troops connected however to usage the Patriot rocket system.
Biden besides utilized Tuesday’s gathering to sermon U.S. efforts to further bounds China’s entree to precocious semiconductors done export restrictions.
The medication has been trying to get the Netherlands connected the aforesaid leafage since the U.S. Commerce Department announced successful October new export controls aimed astatine China. The restrictions are intended to bounds China’s quality to entree precocious computing chips, make and support supercomputers, and marque precocious semiconductors.
“Together we’re moving connected however to support a escaped and unfastened Indo Pacific, and rather frankly the challenges of China,” Biden said astatine the commencement of the meeting.
Administration officials person reasoned that the export restrictions are indispensable due to the fact that China tin usage semiconductors to make precocious subject systems including weapons of wide destruction; perpetrate quality rights abuses; and amended the velocity and accuracy of its subject determination making, readying and logistics.
The Netherlands-based tech elephantine ASML is simply a large shaper of lithography machines that plan and nutrient semiconductors. China is 1 of ASML’s biggest clients.
CEO Peter Wennink played down the interaction of the U.S. export power regulations soon aft the medication unveiled them past fall. ASML said past twelvemonth that it expected company-wide 2022 income to beryllium astir 21 cardinal euros.
The U.S. has besides been successful talks with Japan connected tougher export restrictions to bounds the merchantability of semiconductor manufacturing exertion to China. Rutte’s sojourn comes aft Biden hosted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida past week for talks.
The U.S. and Japan, successful a associated connection pursuing meeting, said the 2 sides agreed to “sharpen our shared borderline connected economical security, including extortion and promotion of captious and emerging technologies.”
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin past week called connected Japan and the Netherlands to defy U.S. pressure.
“We anticipation the applicable countries volition bash the close happening and enactment unneurotic to uphold the multilateral commercialized authorities and safeguard the stableness of the planetary concern and proviso chains,” helium said. “This volition besides service to support their ain semipermanent interests.”
Biden praised Netherlands arsenic 1 of the United States “strongest” allies, and 1 that’s proven “very, precise stalwart” successful its enactment for Ukraine since Russia launched successful its penetration successful February. The Netherlands has committed astir $2.7 cardinal (2.5 cardinal euros) successful enactment for Ukraine this year. The wealth volition beryllium spent connected subject equipment, humanitarian and diplomatic efforts.
The Netherlands providing Ukraine with Patriot assistance — whether the weapons systems, missiles oregon grooming — would beryllium a large determination for the NATO ally.
The grooming of Ukraine forces present underway successful Oklahoma is to focus, successful part, connected however to support the artillery that volition beryllium sent by the U.S. to Ukraine erstwhile grooming is complete. Each strategy has aggregate components, including a phased array radar, a power station, computers and generators, and typically requires astir 90 soldiers to run and maintain, nevertheless lone 3 soldiers are needed to really occurrence it, according to the Army.
Some of the ongoing attraction support, erstwhile the Patriot is connected the battlefield, volition beryllium done remotely, Ryder said.
The Dutch premier minister, for his part, praised Biden for starring the planetary effort to backmost Ukraine.
“I americium convinced past volition justice successful 2022 if the United States had not stepped up similar you did things would person been precise different,” Rutte said.
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Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands. Associated Press writers Lynn Berry, Tara Copp and Colleen Long contributed reporting.
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