Minister: Partners aware of need to boost defense spending or face NATO shift

Defense Minister Pevkur (Reform) has stressed the pressing need for increased defense spending to meet NATO goals, warning that Europe must step up or face a drastically altered security relationship with the United States, with the change in administration there.
Speaking to "Esimene stuudio" Tuesday, Minister Pevkur stressed that coalition partners remain well-informed about the financial requirements for meeting NATO's capability targets, but that NATO's new defense plans demand greater military capabilities, which come with higher costs.
Pevkur explained that the figures for various countries suggest defense spending must rise to 4.5–5 percent of GDP per year.
"There is no choice, simply no choice," he said, adding that Europe must do more to avoid a shift in U.S. defense priorities.
Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) on Tuesday proposed hiking defense spending to 5 percent of GDP, a figure Pevkur, as defense minister, had been discussing for some time.
"We've run the numbers and concluded that 4.5 percent, possibly even 5 percent, is needed," Pevkur said.
The minister added that NATO's eastern flank states understand the urgency more keenly than some other member states, due to heightened risk perceptions.

Pevkur also acknowledged criticism from Education Minister and Eesti 200 chair Kristina Kallas, who said she only learned of the 5 percent proposal through the media.
Pevkur added that the need for increased defense spending should not have come as a surprise to coalition partners in any case.
"We've been discussing NATO's capability goals and costs," he said.
He also noted that funding for defense could involve external resources or borrowing.
Pevkur also pointed out that the upcoming summit in The Hague, where the newly installed U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to deliver a strong message on defense spending, could prove pivotal in shaping Europe's defense policy going forward.
"After the next elections, voters will decide whether to continue with a security tax or adopt another approach," Pevkur said.
Local elections are due in Estonia in October this year; the next Riigikogu elections are in 2027.
Pevkur reiterated that Estonia's defense spend target for 2026 may be 3.7 percent of GDP, but reaching 5 percent is essential.
"The cost of freedom can't be measured by Maastricht criteria," Pevkur added.
"Achieving the 5 percent target is essential. There is no other option," he concluded.
Donald Trump's call for a 5 percent of GDP defense spending level for all NATO members may not be accepted by all member states, though a rise beyond at least the 2-percent level many are currently at may follow.
During the height of the Cold War era, U.S. defense spending of up to 10 percent of GDP was seen some years.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Merili Nael
Source: "Esimene stuudio", interviewer Andres Kuusk