The predictive power of the recent past is diminishing.
Wars are won on morality, not technology.

These were two important lessons from this interactive panel discussion, which focused on this urgent question: How can Europe – and the Netherlands in particular – prepare itself strategically and realistically for continued Russian aggression?

Members of Parliament Derk Boswijk (CDA), Jan Paternotte (D66), Lieutenant Colonel Marnix Felius and Elisabeth van der Steenhoven (Cabinet of the Commander of the Armed Forces) engaged in a discussion led by Michel Don Michaloliákos.

The urgency could not be greater. Not only for Ukraine, but for the security of the whole of Europe. Yet there is often a lack of urgency in policy and decision-making – even though “Putin’s war in Ukraine is increasingly becoming the war of Europe, and Europe alone. Our military-geopolitical playtime must finally come to an end,” says Michaloliákos.

During this meeting, we brought together a diverse group of people: from the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy to TNO, from politicians and scientists to students and entrepreneurs. In this way, we hope to disseminate geopolitical knowledge widely and strengthen networks.

With the help of sharp analyses and honest confrontations, our speakers contributed to a deeper strategic understanding:

• Lieutenant Colonel Marnix Felius and Elisabeth van der Steenhoven (Cabinet of the Commander of the Armed Forces) shared sobering but necessary lessons about warfare in the past and present.

• Derk Boswijk (CDA) and Jan Paternotte (D66) brought political realism to the discussion on European security and military capacity.

💬 “You don’t wage war with the army you want, but with the army you have. Buy the weapons that are available and don’t wait for the “holy grail”. The Netherlands must participate in joint European purchases and produce its own ammunition.”