Minister: Estonia pulling its weight on defense spend sits well with Pentagon

Estonia's commitment to defense spending resonates with the leadership of the United States on the eve of a new administration entering office, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur (Reform) said.
The minister also called on all European countries which are in NATO to pull their weight in meeting the alliance's defense spending requirements.
Speaking to "Välisilm" Monday, the minister said: "The contributions we've made, despite our small size, resonate with both the Pentagon and the White House." This counts for something more than just the money, he added. "Our voice definitely carries weight at the Pentagon."
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur acknowledged in an interview with "Välisilm" that European countries must contribute more to their own defense, as this is particularly critical since even now, not all European NATO member states currently meet the minimum requirement of a defense spending level of 2 percent of GDP per year, a situation which Pevkur said has to change.
"On the one hand, we all agree that European countries need to do more. There's no doubt about that. The 2 percent currently met by 23 out of 32 NATO allies is the absolute minimum," the minister went on.
"But we see that we're not even there with all 32 members. There's no doubt; we need to do more," he added.
The U.S.'s own defense spending, while above the 2-percent mark, is not currently at 5 percent, a figure recently mentioned by incoming President Donald Trump, but has instead somewhat fallen in recent years.
"The latest figures for 2024 show that U.S. defense spending was around 2.7 to 2.8 percent," Pevkur added.
The minister also identified a difference between defense spending and its perceived importance in the NATO eastern flank nations, like Estonia, compared with the situation in other parts of Europe and with other alliance members.
"When we look at the statements by [Donald Trump's Ukraine envoy] Keith Kellogg or Donald Trump himself, the Baltics and Poland are indeed referred to," the defense minister continued.
"We all understand that, even if the sense of threat is high in the Baltics and Poland, not everyone in Europe may share that feeling," he added.
According to Donald Trump, who is set to assume the U.S. presidency, NATO allies' defense spending should rise to five percent of their gross domestic product (GDP), and he believes outgoing President Joe Biden has not done enough to achieve this, with Trump's strongest criticism during a press conference at his resort in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, where he pointedly referenced Europe.
The president-elect said: "Europe is in for a tiny fraction of the money that we're in. Now, whether you like that situation or not, Europe is much more affected than the U.S. We have a thing called the ocean between us, right? Why are we in for billions and billions of dollars more money than Europe?"
"And you know they're a similar size, a little smaller, but they're a similar sized economy as the U.S. when you add them up. And yet Europe is in for a small fraction of the number the U.S. is in for," Trump continued.
"Now, Biden could have called them up during the term; that's what I did, I said you have to pay your bills."
Trump affirmed he thought the defense spending level for NATO member states should be 5 percent of GDP a year.
"Well I think NATO should have 5 percent yes," he said.
"Well you can't do it at two; at 2 percent, every country – if you're going to have a country and a regular military, you're at 4 percent," he continued.
"You know they're in dangerous territory, I think they can all afford it, but they should be at 5 percent not 2 percent. I'm the one that got them to pay 2 percent," Trump added.
The 2 percent per year minimum threshold is a recommended level for NATO member states, and is not a mandatory prerequisite for membership.
During the peak of the Cold War, defense spending from the U.S., the largest NATO member state, sometimes reached as high as 10 percent of GDP per year.
In absolute terms, the U.S. spent around US$820 billion on defense in 2023.
The entry into office of Donald Trump for a second term has prompted speculation on what might change, and what might stay the same, with Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and Western support for the latter country.
Trump has also said he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin "very quickly" after entering office on January 20, Reuters reported.
The incoming U.S. president is likely to focus more on China, seeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine as something which needs resolving, with the European nations needing to take a lead role on this.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Merili Nael
Source: 'Välisilm,' interviewer Maria-Ann Rohemäe.