20:41 01.10.2024

Estonia initiates change in structure of assistance to Ukraine, focusing on its own production

2 min read
Estonia initiates change in structure of assistance to Ukraine, focusing on its own production

Estonia intends to change the structure of military assistance to Ukraine, focusing on the production of products needed by Ukraine at Estonian enterprises, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said.

According to the Estonian ERR agency, the Minister of Defense said that Estonia intends to restructure the military assistance provided to Ukraine in such a way that it is dominated by the products of Estonian enterprises.

"We told Ukraine that we would give what we [ourselves] produce and would clearly direct this money to the Estonian economy, to the Estonian defense industry. Therefore, we are negotiating with the Ukrainians about what our capabilities are," the defense minister said as quoted by the agency.

According to Pevkur, the Estonian defense industry is capable of producing products totalling more than EUR 100 million per year. Currently, the needs of Ukraine are being clarified in order to adapt products to these needs. "Do they primarily want mine clearance, shipbuilding, drones, surveillance devices? We have given Ukraine [information] about our capabilities and are now trying to find a reasonable compromise that takes into account their priorities and our production capabilities," the defense minister said.

In 2023, Estonia provided assistance to Ukraine in the amount of about EUR 100 million, which is 0.25% of the country's GDP.

AD
AD
AD
AD