Hanno Pevkur, Estonian Minister of Defense, said in local media on October 13 that Estonia is considering purchasing defense supplies from Ukraine.
Pevkur said that despite Ukraine’s martial laws, it may be possible to circumvent this restriction if both countries reached a mutually beneficial deal.
Pevkur, a journalist for the Estonian media outlet ERR, said that an agreement of this type could help Ukraine increase its defense production.
Pevkur said, “If we get the consent of the Ukrainian government then, yes, this is possible.”
“We must understand that this can only happen in a way where Ukraine gets more money if we purchase. They will be able produce more for their military.”
Kyiv has increased defense production in the last two years, and aims to be a global leader within the defense sector. According to government estimates Ukraine has the capacity to manufacture around $20 billion in weapons and equipment. However, the state budget is only able to fund around $6 billion.
Pevkur stated that Estonia would only purchase equipment it urgently needs if Tallinn, Kyiv and other countries reach an agreement on defense purchases.
“Long-range weapons are of course interesting to us,” said the Estonian Defense Minister.
There are many options. We cannot go into detail, but we will first look at the systems that can be used to affect the enemy from a distance.
Pevkur plans to visit Ukraine soon and will meet with Rustem Umerov, the Defense Minister of Ukraine.
On June 26, Estonia and Ukraine signed an agreement for bilateral security lasting 10 years. The agreement stipulates that Estonia will provide Ukraine with defense assistance worth more than 100 millions euro ($107 million), this year, and will allocate at minimum 0.25% of GDP annually for military support between 2024-2027.
Kyiv will also launch a regular “strategic dialog” and deepen its military-industrial collaboration.
“We must understand that this can only happen in a way where Ukraine gets more money if we purchase.” “They will be able produce more for their military,” Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur stated.
The Washington Post quoted an officer from the 72nd Mechanized Brigade as saying, “They just overpowered” us. The officer claimed that Russia’s access Starlink was the key factor in the loss.
According to the announcement, the U.K. committed to providing additional long-range weaponry, artillery and robotic systems. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron discussed opening a drone training center in France.
Biden was to convene, on Oct. 12 in Germany, a meeting of leaders from the Ukraine Defense Contact Group where President Volodymyr Zelensky was to present his victory strategy. He rescheduled his visit to oversee the emergency response for Hurricane Milton.
Anna Belokur, Kyiv Independent, explains the top stories from the week. From the postponement the Ramstein Summit to the two-month anniversary Ukraine’s surprise invasion into Kursk Oblast.
Zelensky, in a video message posted on Telegram, said that Russia has also launched over 40 missiles and more than 400 combat drones.
“The killings of prisoners of war are a gross violation and international crime of the Geneva Conventions.” Kostin wrote on X that a criminal case was opened for the violation of laws and customs in war, combined with premeditated killing.
“There were attempts from Russia to push our positions back.” “But we are holding the lines defined,” he said.
Deepstate reported that the shootings took place on October 10, citing sources from Ukraine’s First Tank Brigade.
The two MiG-31K aircraft landed in Belarus in October 9 and 10 a year after their last appearance.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces announced on October 13 that Russia has lost 668.930 troops since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022.
The Air Force reported that Russia also attacked Ukraine using two Iskander M ballistic missiles and 2 Kh-59 cruise missiles. The missiles were aimed at Chernihiv oblast, Sumy oblast, Poltava oblast, and Odesa ablast.
Mediazona, an independent Russian media outlet, and BBC Russia confirmed through open-source research the names of 72 899 Russian soldiers killed since the start of Russia’s full scale invasion.
Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the Presidential Office, said on October 12 that President Volodymyr Zelensky will reveal his “victory plans” publicly to Ukrainians “in a matter of days”.
In his evening address on October 12, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine and France are working together to establish new joint production facilities for defense.
The Press Play Prague Film Festival awarded the Best Film Award to the Kyiv Independent’s investigative film “He Came Back” on October 12. It reveals sexual crimes committed by the Russians during their occupation of Kyiv, Kherson and other oblasts at the beginning of 2022.
The semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported on October 12 that Iran had delivered two satellites manufactured in Iran to Russia for a launch scheduled soon. This is the latest example of space cooperation between two nations that are both under U.S. sanction.
Dusan Bajatovic is the CEO of Srbijagas – a state-owned Serbian company – and Alexey Miller is the CEO of Gazprom – a Russian state-owned energy giant. They expect Russian gas supplies to reach 400,000,000 cubic meters this winter.
Ukrainian troops, in cooperation with the Intelligence Service (HUR), struck a depot that contained oil and petroleum products that were used by the Russian military in the vicinity of Rovenky.
Ukraine’s officials reported that Russia has carried out massive attacks in Ukraine’s southern, eastern and southern regions, killing at least three civilians.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces announced on October 12 that Russia has lost 667 630 troops since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022.
Andrzej Duda, the Polish president, announced that the European integration of Ukraine will be a priority for Poland’s EU Presidency in early 2025. He also stated that maintaining an “open doors to Europe” policy towards new members would be a key priority.
A proposed reform to the European Peace Facility would make financial contributions optional, in order to bypass Hungary’s objection to military aid to Ukraine. This has led to a backlog of 6.5 billion euros ($7 billion).
A senior U.S. government official said, “It is time to craft a new strategic approach in terms of the specific positions (of the allies).” Defense ministers of NATO member nations will meet in Brussels on October 17-18 to discuss this issue.
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