Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur emphasized the urgent need to support Ukraine on its path to victory in his speech at the Berlin Security Conference today, highlighting that Europe has the resources to do so.
"After 1000 days since the start of the war of aggression, Ukraine needs our support more than we have been able to provide so far. Europe has the resources to contribute more, but we must mobilize those resources quickly. We mobilized resources during both the pandemic and the energy crisis, so why couldn’t we do it again? The European Union allocated over 2 trillion euros to recover from the pandemic, and globally, we spent around 1 trillion euros on energy subsidies last year alone," said Minister Pevkur.
In his speech, the minister pointed out that conventional warfare has not disappeared. Ensuring credible deterrence means focusing on the production of resources necessary for waging large-scale wars.
"European countries need to increase defence spending. The European Union must work towards a collective target of at least 3% of GDP for defence spending. This is no easy task – to reach the 3% target, European defence spending would need to grow by at least 100 billion euros annually," said the Defence Minister.
Speaking about transatlantic relations, Pevkur stated that Europe must remain steadfast.
"While focusing on our own defence and the defence of Ukraine, we must also consider the future of transatlantic defence relations. The United States is, and will remain, Europe’s strongest ally," he said.
In conclusion, Defence Minister Pevkur noted that Europe faces unprecedented challenges, both in supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression and in strengthening its own defence capabilities. However, these challenges also provide an opportunity for Europe to take responsibility for its own security.
"The Ukrainians have proven their might, strength, and resolve by standing up to the aggressor in the toughest way possible. Let us also prove that we are worthy of calling ourselves their friends."
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