Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof has assured Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky of the Netherlands “continued support and involvement” in the war with Russia during his first visit to the country as prime minister on Monday.

Schoof visited Zaporizja, a city close to the frontline, where he attended the opening of the new academic year at an underground school. “It is extraordinary to see how Ukrainians press on with their lives and keep their country going under the most difficult of circumstances,” the Dutch prime minister said.

The Netherlands has been at the forefront of international efforts to help Ukraine since the Russian invasion in 2022, but there had been concerns the new right-wing government would backpedal.

The far-right PVV had called for an end to military and financial support during the election campaign but the coalition agreement stated that “The Netherlands will continue to support Ukraine against Russian aggression politically, militarily, financially and morally”.

Suggestions that Ukraine had been behind the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline had led PVV leader Geert Wilders to again raise the issue of financial support.

But Schoof on Monday closed that discussion down, saying the people of Ukraine have the right to a free and safe life. “Stopping the Russian attacks on Ukraine is in the interests of the security of the Netherlands and Europe,” he said. “That conviction links us all.”

The cabinet said earlier on Monday that it was allocating €200 million to build up the country’s energy infrastructure.