Estonian Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur met today in Warsaw with his Polish counterpart, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, to discuss strengthening defence cooperation, the European security environment, and the development of the defence industry. During the visit, Estonian defence company Frankenburg Technologies and the Polish defence conglomerate PGZ signed a co-production agreement.
"Poland is one of our most important allies, with a clear understanding of the seriousness of the current security situation and the need to invest significantly more in defence. Together, we are setting an example by increasing defence expenditure and expect our allies to commit to meeting the 5% target," said Pevkur.
"I am pleased to see that our defence industry partnership is developing rapidly. Poland is clearly a priority partner for our companies. The strengths of Estonia’s defence industry lie in robotics, cybersecurity, surveillance systems, situational awareness solutions and artificial intelligence applications. This means that Estonia does not compete with Poland’s strong defence industry but rather complements it by providing significant added value," the minister added.
Estonian companies such as Milrem Robotics and Rantelon have also concluded cooperation agreements with PGZ. Cooperation with Poland supports the rapid expansion of Estonia’s defence industry sector, which grew by approximately 45% last year alone.
Estonia also values highly the smooth cooperation with Poland in preparing the proposal for the Eastern Flank Watch project. At the same time, Poland’s Eastern Shield border development project is underway, alongside the planning and construction of the Baltic Defence Zone by Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. These initiatives share a common goal: to render aggression against us unthinkable. They also provide opportunities for our defence industry to deliver modern solutions and apply lessons learned from Ukraine.
"Poland has been a steadfast and consistent supporter of Ukraine, and we will continue this support together and unwaveringly. Estonian instructors are currently in Poland training Ukrainian soldiers," Pevkur added. Estonia and Poland are jointly contributing to the Nordic-Baltic-Polish support mechanism Legio, launched under Norway’s leadership, which includes both the provision of weapons and equipment and the training of Ukrainian troops.
Later today, the Minister is scheduled to visit the Nitro-Chem facility in Poland, accompanied by a delegation from the Estonian state-owned company Hexest Materials AS, in order to gain an overview of the production process of RDX-type military explosives. "We greatly value this opportunity, as Estonia is effectively building its ammunition industry from scratch. Establishing new explosives production capacities in Europe will help ensure security of supply for companies in Estonia and across the wider region," Pevkur said.
Poland has long-standing experience in the production of RDX explosives, and the core team of Hexest Materials includes experienced Polish specialists who have previously established similar facilities. The plant is expected to become operational in 2028.
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