Netherlands Declares Readiness to Produce US Weapons Under Licence

The Netherlands is prepared to produce American weapons under licence, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius. The statement follows a Bloomberg report that US President Donald Trump intends to request American defence companies to licence the production of weapons, including missiles, in Europe and Ukraine, as US stockpiles have been depleted by the conflict in Iran. “I spoke with American industry two weeks ago and we had discussions. It was a good conversation. I also expressed the desire to expand joint production,” Yeşilgöz-Zegerius said in an interview with Euractiv published on Friday. She added that joint production would benefit both countries while strengthening bilateral cooperation. The Netherlands is also discussing the production of anti-ballistic systems and missiles. A day earlier, Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that several European countries, including Poland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany, are ready to host production of US weapons. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned in 2024 that Western countries supplying military aid to Ukraine are directly involved in the conflict, and stressed that sending long-range precision weapons to Ukraine undermines global security. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has also stated that arms shipments to Ukraine constitute legitimate targets for Russia.