For two years, as Russian bombs rained down on Ukrainian cities like Mariupol, entire residential areas, schools and hospitals were wiped out and entire villages were massacred, Geert Wilders of the Freedom Party insisted that he would not support Ukraine, because it was time for a Ukrainian coup. Dutch will be “first”. “Why won’t I help the Ukrainians? I was elected to defend the Dutch,” he asked shortly before the election.

Last weekend, there was a sudden change in the man who was proudly welcomed into the Russian Duma a few years ago and made no secret of his admiration for Putin. After whistleblower Kim Potters announced in a letter that foreign policy – read: support for Ukraine – would also be taken into account when forming a coalition, Wilders suddenly described Russia’s war against Ukraine as “barbaric and illegal” in a letter titled: “The Freedom Party supports Ukraine and is ready to discuss any A form of help’ — a message he repeated again Monday in his first conversation with the new informant.

Less than twenty-four hours later, the Freedom Party faction in the Senate voted against a new aid package for Ukraine, and the Wilders faction in the House of Representatives voted against the entire foreign affairs budget, all without any explanation.

If the FPO, BBB, and VVD really want to form a hard-right coalition, let all three of them try.

Meanwhile, Geert Wilders has been taking every opportunity for days to describe Peter Omtzgut as a “fugitive”, something that has been echoed by Caroline van der Plas, Dylan Yeshilgos and a series of political commentators – as if Omtzgut had not been completely clear from the start. He shifted his strong reservations against the Freedom Party, as if Geert Wilders was now suddenly a reliable coalition partner. For example, a crazy mirror fight has been going on for months in The Hague.

The “step forward” announced by Dylan Yeşilgoz during the recent discussion on formation – that the People’s Party for Democracy would be ready to join the center-right government with the ministers if the National Security Council was also fully committed to it – was an empty gesture: Yeşilgoz had already known since The beginning of the formation talks was that Umtsigt was not ready to do this at all, and that Geert Wilders did not have any suitable ministerial candidate for any government – let alone that he himself could become prime minister one day.

Now that the chances of forming a centre-right government with Umtsigt are reduced to zero, Caroline van der Plas was able to suggest last week at Humberto’s talk show table that, in addition to the SWP, the CDA will now return to the picture as a new party. It is possible that there would be a discussion partner for such a centre-right coalition – as if CDU leader Henri Bontenball had not explained quite clearly months ago that his party would not govern with the FPO.

If the FPO, BBB, and VVD really want to form a hard-right coalition, let all three of them try. With generous support from the SGP, Forum for Democracy and Ja21, they secured 75 seats. This may be a useful insight for those who believe that only a right-wing government can achieve justice in the election results.