Estonia plans to restructure aid for Ukraine, focuses on domestic defense production
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur emphasized that this new approach will both strengthen Ukraine’s military capabilities and stimulate Estonia's economy.
The Estonian government intends to order weapons to assist Ukraine from its own defense-industrial complex, says Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, ERR has reported.
This year, Estonia will provide Ukraine with military aid worth about 100 million euros, which equals 0.25% of Estonia’s gross domestic product. This policy will continue in the coming years, but the structure of military aid will change.
According to Pevkur, Estonia wants to restructure its military assistance so that it primarily consists of products from Estonian defense enterprises.
“We are taking a completely new course. We told Ukraine that we would provide what we produce and clearly direct this money into the Estonian economy and into its defense industry. Therefore, negotiations with the Ukrainians are ongoing about how we can help,” said the Estonian minister.
The official says the Estonian defense industry is capable of producing weapons worth more than 100 million euros per year. Currently, Ukraine’s needs are being clarified to adapt products accordingly.
“We have conveyed information to Ukraine about our capabilities, and now we are trying to find a reasonable compromise that considers their priorities and our production capabilities. Production also needs to ramp up quickly if any specific items are required,” said Pevkur.
Once the list of Ukraine’s priorities is received, state tenders can be organized. The minister says that all Estonian companies that produce the necessary products could participate in these tenders.
At the same time, Hanno Pevkur noted that all Estonian military products delivered to Ukraine so far have received positive feedback.
Among such products, he mentioned battle situation analysis tools, drones produced by Threod Systems, military boats, and anti-drone rifles manufactured by Rantelon.
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