Hanno Pevkur, Estonia’s Defense Minister, told Estonian media outlet ERR that Estonia intends to purchase armaments. This cooperation is intended to boost Ukraine’s production, which has increased significantly over the last two years.
Ukraine can now produce around $20 billion worth weapons and equipment each year, despite its state budget only being able to fund about $6 billion. Estonia, a staunch ally of Ukraine, wants to support these efforts, despite Ukraine’s ban on exports of arms due to martial law. Pevkur believes that this restriction will not hinder an agreement as both nations would benefit from the collaboration.
Pevkur said that “Long-range weapons are of course interesting to us.” “We are primarily interested in systems that can affect an adversary at a long distance.”
He will meet with the Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov in Brussels, followed by a trip to Ukraine.
This initiative builds upon the 10-year bilateral agreement on security signed on 26th June, in which Estonia committed to provide Ukraine with more than 100 million euros of defense aid this coming year. From 2024-2027, Estonia will dedicate at least 0.25 percent of its GDP to Ukraine’s military assistance.
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