Netherlands’ Rightward Shift Likely to Impact Western Aid to Ukraine

Geert Wilders’ surprise electoral win may see Amsterdam’s approach to Ukraine move closer to that of Hungary and Slovakia.

Workers prepare to remove an election sign of Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders near the Binnenhof, a day after the Netherlands general elections, in the Hague on Nov. 23, 2023. Robin Utrecht/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

European assistance to Ukraine will likely be dealt another blow following the electoral victory of Geert Wilders’s right-wing Freedom Party (PVV).

The PVV defied expectations by taking first place in a Nov. 22 parliamentary poll, winning 37 of 150 seats in the Dutch national assembly.