Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur met today in Brussels with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The discussion focused on the upcoming NATO Summit in The Hague, the security of the Eastern border, and the situation in the Baltic Sea.
“We are in agreement with the NATO Secretary General that defence spending among NATO countries must increase significantly. Whether this means doubling the current levels or reaching another form of agreement is hard to say at this point, but the fact is that in The Hague allies must reach a new level of commitment. This need is most clearly reflected in the NATO capability targets currently under discussion,” said Minister Pevkur after the meeting.
According to the Minister, the defence of NATO’s eastern flank was also discussed. “Given Russia’s increasingly aggressive behaviour, it is essential that NATO’s message towards Russia is clear and strong. Allied forces are undisputably present on the eastern flank, and there are no plans to change that,” Pevkur added.
The Minister also briefed the NATO Secretary General on the shadow fleet vessel detained in the Gulf of Finland, where the necessary procedures are still ongoing. “I am pleased that the Estonian Navy, together with other national agencies, responded decisively and swiftly. The message to everyone operating in the Baltic Sea is clear – we are monitoring the situation with heightened attention and will intervene decisively if needed,” said the Minister.
Minister Pevkur is in Brussels to participate in the UK- and France-led defence ministers’ meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, as well as in the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting.
As part of the Coalition of the Willing discussions, an initial exchange among 30 countries was held regarding the potential deployment of a European security mission to Ukraine. “Although the discussion itself is not public, I can say that the planning underway is concrete and realistic, with the aim of both strengthening Ukraine’s position in negotiations and sending a clear signal to Russia – we have Ukraine’s back,” stated Minister Pevkur.
At the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting, the focus was on Ukraine’s urgent military assistance needs. “On behalf of Estonia, I confirmed our continued and unwavering support for Ukraine – as promised, we will send military aid amounting to at least 0.25% of our GDP each year, which equals over 100 million euros. Based on current decisions, this year’s support already exceeds 0.3% of GDP. The aid includes domestically produced unmanned ground and aerial vehicles, medical supplies, as well as ammunition rounds and food packages for Ukrainian fighters. Both the shells and food packages are expected to arrive within the coming weeks,” said Minister Pevkur.
“In addition, we will continue co-leading the IT Coalition with Luxembourg. Estonia’s contribution to the coalition this year is 5 million euros. The first part of this is allocated for building communications modules for two brigade-level command posts. The second part will fund critical tactical communications and cyber defence needs,” Minister Pevkur explained, commenting on Estonia’s contribution to the coalition.
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Photos: Kaitseministri kohtumine NATO peasekretär Mark Ruttega (11.04.2025) | Flickr