Minister of Defence at Ukraine Symposium: 'We Europeans have only one chance to get this right'
Three years on, and interest in Ukraine certainly hasn't decreased. The auditorium at the Wijnhaven location was fully booked on Monday. Hundreds of people, including top military brass, listened to Minister of Defence Brekelmans' speech. He pointed out to them: 'Here in the Netherlands, we're now living in a grey area, between war and peace.'
In the front rows of the hall sit, among others, the Chief of Defence, Onno Eichelsheim, and the Director of the MIVD (Military Intelligence and Security Service), Peter Reesink. Those due to receive awards from the Minister would have to be patient. They would only be presented with the commemorative insignia for their efforts in support of Ukraine after his speech.
The welcoming remarks came from Professor of War Studies Frans Osinga, after which Major General, Chair of the KVBK Robert Adang took over. It was his third time on stage at the annual Ukraine event at Leiden University in The Hague. Involved in the organisation are the Koninklijke Vereniging ter Beoefening van de Krijgswetenschap (KVBK), Clingendael, NLDA en Open Door Ukraine.
'Hopefully, this tradition can end this year,' Adang said. 'The context has changed since last year. Even definitions such as friend and ally are taking on new meaning. Will the aggressor get their way and be rewarded?'
Brekelmans' speech
Not if it’s up to Minister of Defence Ruben Brekelmans. He took to the stage and made it clear he wanted to state the facts: 'Russia is the aggressor, Putin is the dictator. Russia has illegally invaded Ukraine for no reason.' What should we do? That is clear: continue to support Ukraine. Through F16 training, a large-scale drone project, and, for example, with medical assistance. 'Even if the fighting stops this year, the support must continue. This is to prevent future Russian aggression.'
Read Minister Brekelmans' full speech here.
Brekelmans also mentioned recent developments, with Trump wanting to negotiate without Ukraine at the table. 'You cannot talk about Ukraine without Ukraine. They must also receive security guarantees. We Europeans also do not want the US to decide for us; this is about our security. Nothing without Europe. I said it as a joke, but I'm serious: no true troop formation without representation.'
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Bob Deen (Clingendael Institute) speaks. -
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Second from the right: Onno Eichelsheim, Chief of Defence. -
Everyone is invited to stand for the awards ceremony. -
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Major Ivora Noort. -
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The panel with Robert Serry, Esselien van Eerten and Bob Deen. -
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MIVD Director Peter Reesink (with glasses) pictured in the front row. -
Major General Robert Adang during his speech. -
Minister Ruben Brekelmans addressing the audience. -
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Yana Rudenko, who was also present last year and received a large round of applause after her emotional speech. -
Only peace through strength
Brekelmans states that we can only achieve peace through strength. 'We want lasting peace. If the violence in Ukraine stops, it will take Russia an estimated year to regroup. What if there are suddenly 300,000 soldiers at the border of the Baltic States? Putin wants to provoke us and see how we react. They have the intention and military capabilities to continue the aggression. We must deter, and quickly. Russian aggression is everywhere, take for instance the hackers, cyber-attacks, the North Sea, infrastructure, drones.'
'Russian aggression affects us all. Here in the Netherlands, we're living between war and peace. To make our society more resilient in this grey area, we must not only look to the EU and NATO, but all contribute. Is everyone ready, does everyone know what to do if there's no electricity? You can also ask yourself if you have useful skills for the army, without having to be a soldier: IT, logistics, healthcare and more.'
'We can do this, that's the good news'
According to the Minister, the question is: what can society do for the army, instead of the other way around? 'We need action now; we Europeans have only one chance to get this right. We can do this; that's the good news. We are much stronger, richer and more innovative than Russia, China, North Korea and Iran combined. Let's achieve those 100 years of freedom and pass on another eighty years of peace to our children and grandchildren. We don't all have to carry a weapon, but we do have the responsibility to protect what we have here.'
Read the responses from two questioners from the audience at the bottom of this article.
Award recipients, panel discussion and words of thanks
After the Minister's speech, it was time for the awards. Everyone in the hall stood for this special moment, and Major Ivora Noort was ready with the ten insignia. Brekelmans shook hands with the recipients one by one. After a short Q&A with the Minister, he left the stage, and the panel discussion began. At the table were Robert Serry, once the first Dutch ambassador of Ukraine, Deputy Ambassador of Ukraine Esselien van Eerten, and Bob Deen, a researcher at the Clingendael Institute. Sabine Mengelberg, a lecturer in International Security Studies at the Dutch Defence Academy, was the moderator.
Finally, Robert Adang gave words of thanks: 'What a fantastic audience. Students, generals, everyone together in one room. We need to do this more often. And respect for the courageous people in Ukraine. What you have done over the past three years is incredible.'
Question for Brekelmans
Nardjissa Ikhlef, a Security Studies student, received loud applause for her question to the Minister about the renewed role of the US, why he didn't talk about it and dismissed it as part of negotiations. After the symposium, she shared:
'The Minister described the current situation in which there is neither peace nor war. In his book On War, Clausewitz argued that war is the continuation of politics by other means and that warfare refers to the way in which this is carried out. However, 'peacefulness' is a contested concept.
The Minister was right to point to political interference and destabilising activities such as disinformation campaigns, cyber-attacks and other forms of 'hybrid warfare' that undermine our democracies. In the 21st century, warfare no longer refers exclusively to soldiers present.
This creates a kind of 'grey area'. There is no open armed conflict, but at the same time, the conditions for genuine peace and political stability are lacking. One might ask: if there is no peace and no war, what should we call this vacuum that the Minister describes?
My question was about the geopolitical relationships that have shifted with Trump in power. The US are not only asking us to strengthen our defence structures, as Minister Brekelmans stated; it has in fact become a necessity. The security provided by the US, on which Europe has developed a dependency, has been shaken (and perhaps Europe was still insufficiently prepared for this).
According to Minister Brekelmans, this is a diplomatic matter. His explanation for our dependent behaviour on US support is that the actions of the current US government serve as negotiating tactics.
If the negotiating tactics of the US exert decisive pressure on European defence policy, are European countries then at risk of remaining in that grey area that is neither fully at war nor at peace, as the Minister describes? And at the same time, not entirely in control of their own destiny?'
Question for the panel
Monica den Boer, a Professor by Special Appointment Police studies, was also in the audience. She asked the panel a question about EU membership.
'EU membership for Ukraine is barely mentioned in the whole discussion and attention should be drawn to this. This must be included in the transition to a new possible situation. If the EU must take care of itself, then that means we must bring Ukraine in. There are two things though: you inherit a war and a country that is partly in ruins. The EU must therefore immediately get to work on reconstruction, if Ukraine still wants that itself. Sovereignty carries a lot of weight; we are not going to decide what Ukraine wants, but we can offer a helping hand. We need to start the debate about this and think about the conditions under which this could happen if Ukraine still wants it. That must become part of the larger discussion about bringing security within Europe.
Ukraine is also incredibly important from a policing perspective. First: we must do justice to the Ukrainians, after the war crimes of Russia. We in Europe must ensure that justice will prevail. This includes forensic evidence from the battlefield, where Dutch police and military police have collected this for the ICC (International Criminal Court). We must not let that slip through our fingers. The second is that Ukraine itself is also struggling with (internal) security, such as drug and arms trafficking. These weapons can end up in the wrong hands. The third is the safety of citizens themselves; you must do something to be able to safeguard security in a sustainable way. Especially for vulnerable people, such as children, the elderly. They may not be able to do this themselves, but the international police might. There is also a lot of trauma, and we as police and security organisations need to start thinking about that.’