Dutch prime minister says war in Ukraine also ‘our war'

The war in Ukraine is also "our war," even though the Netherlands is not literally at war with Russia, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Thursday.

"This is (also) our war. I am not saying that we are at war with Russia in the literal sense of the word, but we must help Ukraine with all resources to win this war. We are doing this for ourselves, not for Ukraine," Rutte said in a speech to parliament.

Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to establish a great "Russian Empire," he said, adding "this war will not end with Ukraine."

"Then who is the next victim? Then the consequences for Ukraine, neighboring countries and NATO and the Netherlands as a whole will be much greater.

"We are also under a great threat of war. This affects our security, our freedom and our well-being," he added.

Rutte said the Netherlands can't let Putin destroy "everything we have built together in Europe after the Second World War," adding "we cannot return to an era where the power of the strong prevails. We cannot go back to major human rights violations, torture and mass graves."

He underscored that it is not an option for the Netherlands "to give up supporting sanctions in order to buy cheap gas from Russia again. This would be to accept blackmail."