The Netherlands has decided to scale back intelligence sharing with the United States. The Netherlands has been an "intelligence alliance" that has shared secrets with the United States for decades, and is said to have made this decision due to President Donald Trump's recent radical moves, including a "pro-Putin turn."
According to the Financial Times (FT) on the 20th local time, the Netherlands General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) and the Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) said in a joint interview with the Dutch daily De Volkskrant that they plan to reduce the sharing of classified information with the United States. This is because they cannot rule out the possibility that classified information shared with the United States could be used to aid Russia or to violate human rights.
Eric Akerboom, AIVD Director General, and Pieter Resink, MIVD Director General, took part in the interview and noted, "We cannot say how the cooperative relationship (with the United States) has changed compared with before, but there are cases where we decide not to share certain information anymore."
In particular, they suggested they are limiting the sharing of Russia-related information. After a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 16th, President Trump abruptly reversed course on Ukraine and has ratcheted up pressure, telling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's side, "If you do not accept Russia's demands, you will be destroyed."
Trump's moves appear to be in direct conflict with his prior actions. He recently assessed that the Russian economy is "doing well," which is interpreted as a complete change in direction compared with just days earlier when he said the Russian economy was on the verge of collapse and argued that "President Putin must negotiate."
In the interview, the two Director Generals also expressed regret, noting that in April President Trump dismissed U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) Director Timothy Hoke. Hoke served in the military for more than 30 years, holding key posts in intelligence and cyber security. The decision is said to have come after right-wing influencer Laura Loomer accused President Trump that "General Hoke lacks loyalty."
They also answered a question about whether they would restrict information sharing even when it is uncertain how intelligence related to Russia would be used by saying, "We will assess the situation and decide."
Asked whether President Trump's ongoing reorganization of federal intelligence agencies influenced the reduction in classified information sharing, they said, "We judge by our own experience," adding, "We are alert to the possibility of human rights violations and the political use of intelligence." President Trump is currently pushing to restructure U.S. federal intelligence agencies, including the NSA and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
However, they said relations with the U.S. intelligence authorities are good, and the Netherlands is considered one of the allies that has maintained an intelligence alliance with the United States for decades. Previously, in 2010, the Netherlands helped the United States in the process of deploying the malicious computer code "Stuxnet" to cripple uranium enrichment facilities in Iran.
Experts predicted that if European allies begin with the Netherlands and isolate the United States, it would be a setback for the United States. European countries are currently focused on imposing additional sanctions on Russia, and the European Union plans to discuss at a summit on the 23rd a plan to provide Ukraine with loans worth 140 billion euros (about 231 trillion won) using Russia's frozen assets.
Bart Groothuis, a member of the European Parliament who previously served as director of cybersecurity at the Ministry of National Defense, said, "The two countries have long cooperated against authoritarian regimes," but noted, "Even strong military cooperation is based on the soft power of 'trust and values.'" He warned, "If the United States loses trust with its allies, no amount of powerful intelligence capability can be maintained."