Estonia contributes three times more than agreed in NATO to support Ukraine

At this week's summit in Washington, NATO members agreed to provide at least €40 billion a year in military aid to Ukraine to repel Russian aggression. Estonia however, has pledged three times the amount agreed upon to continue supporting Ukraine.
"Estonia's share of NATO's gross domestic product (GDP) is around 0.08 percent. But Estonia has pledged to contribute at least 0.25 percent, in line with the government's decisions in December 2023. The funds will be used for armaments, military assistance and training," Estonian Ministry of Defense spokesperson Roland Murof told ERR.
If Estonia were to contribute 0.08 percent of €40 billion to Ukraine, that would amount to €32 million a year. However, so far, Estonia has provided hundreds of millions in aid to Ukraine. In early June, ERR wrote that the recent decision to supply Ukraine with launchers and missiles for the Mistral missile system brought the total amount of Estonian military aid supplied to Ukraine to almost €500 million.
The text of the agreement on security cooperation and long-term support signed between Estonia and Ukraine on June 27 states that Estonia has provided Ukraine with military assistance worth €500 million, which is more than 1.3% of Estonia's GDP. In 2024, Estonia's military support to Ukraine will be over €100 million.
Murof stressed that the €40 billion agreed within NATO is a minimum level and that does not prevent any country from providing more.
"It is also important to underline that the €40 billion financial support to Ukraine is one element of a broader long-term package of support to Ukraine. The financial support for the coming years as well as Ukraine's needs, will be reviewed at the NATO Summit in The Hague in 2025," explained Murof.
The heads of NATO states and governments have decided to provide €40 billion in military assistance to Ukraine over the next year. With the aid package, the Allies confirm the long-term continuation of military assistance as well as NATO's leading role in coordinating this assistance. It was also agreed in Washington that NATO will take the lead in training Ukrainian soldiers and supporting interoperability between Ukraine and the Alliance.
"We agreed on a financial pledge to help Ukraine build a force capable of defeating Russian aggression today and repelling it tomorrow. We have agreed that €40 billion is the minimum for next year. This should provide Ukraine with a sustainable amount of funding to achieve victory," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference in Washington on Wednesday.
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Editor: Mait Ots, Michael Cole