Caretaker prime minister Dick Schoof is refusing to agree to parliament’s calls to allocate an extra €2 billion in support for Ukraine now, saying that must be decided in next year’s spring financial statement.

MPs say the government must give clarity now so that Kyiv can place new orders for defence equipment in time, now that Russia is advancing.

A majority of MPs support calls for the extra cash, and a vote will be taken next week.

Schoof says the Netherlands has already pledged €3.5 billion a year to Ukraine, which is “well ahead” of others. But a budget shift earlier this year has created a gap: €2 billion from the 2026 allocation was moved to this year, leaving just €1.5 billion for 2026 unless an additional €2 billion is found.

“We have no time to lose,” CDA MP Derk Boswijk said during Thursday’s debate, adding: “We do not want the Russian border to move.”

Meanwhile, asylum minister Mona Keijzer has said she wants Ukrainian refugees who have a job to pay rent and health insurance premiums, and to bring in a special status for them which means they will have to return home once the fighting has stopped.

Keijzer’s plan, reported by RTL Nieuws and news agency ANP, is due to be discussed in Friday’s cabinet meeting.

Some 60% of Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands are in work and are already required to pay towards their board and lodging. The EU has agreed that Ukrainian nationals do not have to request asylum in the Netherlands, but that regulation is due to expire in March 2027.

After that, without new special measures, Ukrainians will have to apply for refugee status alongside everyone else and that, Keijzer argues, will add to the pressure on the already over-taxed immigration service IND.