Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur met with his Danish counterpart Troels Lund Poulsen, who was in Estonia as part of the state visit of the Danish royal couple. During their meeting, the ministers discussed how to secure peace in Ukraine, issues related to the Russian shadow fleet and cooperation between NATO allies in the Arctic.
“We have to keep our focus on supporting Ukraine, which is our core task as allies,” Minister Pevkur said. “The Ukrainians must be given watertight guarantees in the peace negotiations that secure the country’s future without the threat of war. Unless and until those guarantees are in place, we must maintain our pressure on Russia. Estonia confirmed as early as last year that it is prepared to deploy a company-sized unit as part of the Coalition of the Willing in Ukraine.”
Ministers Pevkur and Poulsen also discussed the threats posed by Russia’s shadow fleet on the Baltic Sea. “We need to slow down and restrict the movement of these vessels even before they enter the Baltic Sea, since they pose a threat to the critical infrastructure of EU Member States, as well as to safe navigation and the environment,” the Estonian Minister of Defence remarked. “The shadow fleet serves the interests of the Russian war machine, so sanctioning it will impede Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.”
Touching on the Arctic issue, Minister Pevkur stressed that the best way of ensuring security in the region is through close cooperation between NATO allies. “Estonia is ready to take part, alongside its allies, in the Arctic Endurance exercise led by Denmark,” he explained.
Minister Pevkur acknowledged Denmark for its part in defending NATO’s eastern flank and for the military support it has provided to Ukraine. Denmark has contributed units to the NATO Battlegroup in Estonia and is also involved in the work of the NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU) in the country.
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