On March 28, Politico reported that six EU countries, including Estonia and Lithuania, were profiting from sending military aid to Ukraine. According to the Lithuanian and Estonian governments, the report is misleading.
According to Politico, the six countries calculated their reimbursement by the European Peace Facility (EPF) for aid to Ukraine based on new acquisitions instead of the actual value of equipment sent to Ukraine.
The six countries were said to be Finland (claiming 100% of the new purchasing price), Latvia (claiming 99%), Lithuania (93%), Estonia (91%), France (71%) and Sweden (26%).
The information provided by Politico is not accurate and is not “based on any specific calculations or facts”, according to Arvydas Anusauskas, Lithuanian Defence Minister.
“Lithuania strictly follows the methodology agreed by the EU member states for assessing the value of the aid transferred to Ukraine,” the minister wrote on Facebook.
He stresses that the partial reimbursement of the assistance provided until July 2022 has now been agreed upon, and further reimbursement of later assistance packages is being discussed.
“By agreement between states, the specific figures for the reimbursement are not made public, but so far, it has been agreed that Lithuania will be reimbursed around 20% of the military assistance value provided to Ukraine and will use it for both further assistance to Ukraine and the reconstruction of the stocks it has transferred,” Anusauskas said.
According to a statement issued by the Estonian government, the country decided to send aid to Ukraine before the EU compensation system was established. It also stated that Estonia’s calculation of the compensation amount was guided by defined rules.
“All weapons, equipment and ammunition that Estonia sent to Ukraine were fully functional and were also used by the Estonian Defence Forces,” the statement said.
“We did everything we could to help Ukraine. On the battlefield, it is the impact that counts, it makes no difference whether the equipment is used or brand new. Ukraine appreciated Estonia’s assistance and has never complained about the quality of the equipment,” it added.
It also stressed that Estonia has never possessed Strela defence systems or sent them to Ukraine, nor has it acquired modern Stinger anti-missile systems, as was stated by Politico. (ERR/Business World Magazine)