Prime minister Mark Rutte is assured of winning enough support in the senate for his compromise deal on the EU’s treaty with Ukraine, broadcaster NOS said on Wednesday.

NOS said a number of Christian Democrat senators are set to defy party leader Sybrand Buma and vote for the deal because of its importance to Europe as a whole.

Last week Rutte won the support of the 27 other European leaders for a supplementary declaration to the Ukraine treaty which makes it clear what the agreement actually entails.

This, he hopes, will enable the Dutch parliament to ratify the treaty, despite the April referendum in which 61% voted against ratification. Even though the referendum was advisory, MPs have said justice must be done to the outcome.

D66

The prime minister can count on a majority in the lower house of parliament because GroenLinks and D66 have said they will support the deal. In the senate, however, he is short of at least three seats and is counting on the backing of the CDA.

‘Senior Christian Democrats consider the treaty to be so important that they will support [Rutte],’ NOS correspondent Ron Fresen said. ‘He will be able to go back to Europe and say that he has made it work.’

The two minor Christian parties SGP and CDA have said they will not support the deal, arguing that the confidence of the public in politicians must be restored.

During Tuesday evening’s debate on the issue, Rutte again stressed the importance of not playing into Russia’s hands.