The Netherlands studies sending a Patriot missile system to Ukraine

WASHINGTON - Dutch Prime Minister

said Tuesday that his country is considering sending a Patriot missile system to Ukraine, a move that would bolster the country's air defenses and

Russian attacks.

Rutte, sitting next to President

in the Oval Office, said the Russian attack on the city of Dnipro, which killed dozens of people in a residential building, had strengthened "our determination to stay with Ukraine," amid the

about the ability of the Ukrainians to

another possible offensive by Moscow.

"We intend to join what you are doing with Germany on the Patriot project, namely the air defense system," Rutte told Biden.

The Northern Lights glow behind an M903 Patriot Missile Launch Station assigned to the 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, during Exercise ARCTIC EDGE 2022 at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, March 5, 2022. US Air Force/Senior Airman Joseph P. LeVeille/Handout via REUTERS

"I think it's important that we join that, and I have discussed it also this morning with Olaf Scholz from Germany."

It was not clear if the Dutch had formally committed to shipping the system.

The Defense Department and the White House did not say whether a firm compromise had been reached, although an administration official said a formal decision was expected.

The Dutch foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Rutte is the latest foreign leader to visit Washington as Biden works to bolster a series of crucial global alliances he believes can help counter growing aggression from Russia and China.

On Friday, Japan's Prime Minister

met with Biden, and the two leaders vowed to work together to improve Japan's military posture and denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Biden has also tried to persuade the Dutch and Japanese to sign on to US efforts to curb China's access to

that could advance its own military technologies.

In recent days, the Dnipro bombings have increased pressure on Western nations to do more to provide economic and military aid to Ukraine.

Rutte's interest in sending a Patriot system follows a decision made in late December by US officials to supply and train Ukrainian troops.

On Tuesday afternoon, Ukrainian President

said on Twitter that he was grateful to the Dutch prime minister "

air defense system

" to Ukraine.

"It greatly improves the air defense, protects our cities and our people from the missile terror of the Russian Federation," he said, referring to the Russian Federation.

But pressure has also increased on Germany and the United States to follow

's lead in committing to sending tanks to Ukraine, although neither government has said it will.

On Tuesday, Biden spoke by phone with Scholz, the German chancellor.

The two leaders "spoke of their strong support for Ukraine and condemned Russia's aggression," according to an administration statement.

In addition to fostering a united front against Russia, Biden is confident meeting leaders face-to-face can help rally support for the sweeping restrictions his administration placed in October on the sale

and the tools that can be used to make them to China.

.

US authorities believe this technology can be used

and weapons systems that could one day threaten the United States.

US officials have been in talks for several years with the Netherlands and Japan, makers of the world's most advanced equipment for making semiconductors, to limit the type of technology they sell to China.

The restrictions imposed by the Biden administration included limits on foreign chips made with American technology.

But the United States stopped short of regulating foreign-made equipment, such as that produced by the Dutch company ASML.

The United States manufactures much of the most advanced equipment needed by the world's semiconductor factories.

In the short term, the new restrictions have been "like burning a hole in every chip factory in China that meets the technical specifications of the standards," said Emily Kilcrease, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

But the measures could prove less effective over time, if foreign companies such as ASML or Japan's Tokyo Electron are drawn to the

and try to develop and sell their own versions of American technology.

"If there are other countries that are not subject to the same level of control, there is a really strong structural incentive for these foreign companies to

to US technology," Kilcrease said.

US companies say the measures will put them at a disadvantage compared to their foreign competitors.

Lam Research, a provider of chip-making technology, expects revenue to fall between $2 billion and $2.5 billion this year.

Applied Materials, another equipment company, has given similar estimates.

The Biden administration expected to publish its October rules together with its allies and had spent months in talks with them, including the Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, Israel and Britain.

But while many of these governments recognize that Beijing is a growing threat to national security, they have been reluctant to cut important trade relations with China.

In both Japan and the Netherlands there have been questions about the legal authority to issue restrictions like the US, as well as extensive technical discussions about which technologies need to be restricted.

Gregory Allen, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said foreign governments appear to be pushing for the agreement to be expanded further, to include countries like South Korea and Germany, to ensure

by join the United States.

c.2023 The New York Times Company

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