Estonia would actively start discussing military defense facilities with Latvia and Lithuania, President Alar Karis said on January 8 after a routine meeting of the National Defense Council.
Karis said Russia was testing the will and readiness of Finland and Estonia’s borders, but Estonia had prepared for such attacks. He said the border must be able to withstand both hybrid attacks as well as force, such as tanks and combat units.
Estonia must be protected from the first attack, he stressed.
“Military defense facilities in our border region is certainly a topic to be continued in the new year. And the Ministry of Defense, together with our Baltic counterparts, is currently working in this direction,” Karis told journalists at a press conference after the meeting.
Speaking about Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Karis said the Euro-Atlantic community needed to clearly show its support for Kyiv and stand with the country long-term. He said Ukraine’s defense and security guarantees were decisive for European security.
“We know that Ukraine still needs more weapons, even better weapons, and it is important that all countries with this capability put their military industries to work so that Ukraine gets what it needs and so that Europe becomes militarily strong again, which in turn will prevent future wars of aggression on European soil,” the president said.
Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform), who also participated in the press conference, called on Europe, North America and other countries to support Ukraine to the amount of 0.25% of GDP.
“Estonia’s contribution to winning the war in Ukraine over the next four years will be 0.25% of GDP. If everyone put in 0.25%, that’s what it would take for Ukraine to win this war,” said Kallas.
Kallas said, since 2022, Estonia had given Ukraine military aid worth nearly EUR 500 million.
“This is necessary to ensure our security as well,” the prime minister said.
In the coming years, Estonia will allocate EUR 14 million per year Ukraine, including for reconstruction.
Kallas said she understood that many people were growing used to war, and in democracies, public opinion could slow down decision-making. However, she emphasized that it was necessary for governments to consistently explain why supporting Ukraine was important in their countries.
The figure 0.25% of GDP has been suggested in a discussion paper by the Ministry of Defense, as the amount all countries can contribute annually to help Ukraine win the war.
The National Defense Council is an advisory body to the president. It discusses key issues from the point of view of national defense and expresses its opinions on these issues. (ERR/Business World Magazine)