Earlier today, the UK's Armed Forces minister said UK troops stationed on NATO's eastern flank may have to be withdrawn from their positions to make up a deterrence force inside Ukraine. There are almost 1,000 UK troops in Estonia and Poland.

The UK and several other countries are discussing sending troops from a "coalition of the willing" to Ukraine in the event of a future ceasefire.

However, due to significant cuts to the military over the last decade, experts believe the UK would struggle to deploy even 10,000 troops to Ukraine long term, The Times newspaper wrote.

Estonian ministers sought to reassure the public after the comments were made.

Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) said the potential contribution of allies to Ukraine will not change or affect the presence of allied forces in Estonia or, more broadly, in the Baltic Sea region

He said discussions are taking place amongst allies, including Estonia, but no decisions have been made.

"The clear position of Estonia and many other European allies is that any potential European contribution must not impact NATO's defense and deterrence posture on its Eastern Flank," he said in a statement. "Allies, including the United Kingdom, have so far indicated that their possible contribution to Ukraine will not change or affect the presence of allied forces in the Baltic Sea region."

The defense minister said the UK-led NATO battlegroup remains in Estonia and is preparing for the deployment of the brigade this summer for military exercise Siil.

He added the UK's "permanent presence" in Estonia is based on long-term commitments made at NATO summits, through the Estonia-UK defense cooperation agreement and roadmap.

"Revisiting these agreements is certainly not on the agenda," Pevkur stated.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsakna (Eesti 200) also highlighted the brigade assigned to Estonia.

"Reducing the presence of NATO allied forces would be neither appropriate nor timely, especially in the current security situation," he in a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In communication between the two countries, the UK has always sent assurances of the presence of British forces in the region and said that no steps will be taken that would weaken the deterrence and defense posture on NATO's eastern flank, Tsakna said in the statement.

UK MOD: No plans to change deployment

On Thursday evening, a spokesperson for the UK's Ministry of Defense said: "There are no plans to change our deployment to the eastern flank of NATO. The UK's commitment to NATO is unshakeable. British troops have been deployed, working hand in hand with our Estonian allies for nearly nine years together, training an operating closely along side each other to boost our collective security."

A @DefenceHQ spokesman has said: "There are no plans to change our deployment to the eastern flank of NATO. The UK's commitment to NATO is unshakeable. British troops have been deployed, working hand in hand with our Estonian allies for nearly nine years together, training and….

— Ross Allen (@rceallen) March 20, 2025

Speaking on Times Radio on Thursday morning, minister Luke Pollard said that a meeting of military chiefs in Northwood today would examine the "nuts and bolts planning as to what a force would look like".

He also told BBC Radio 4 the chiefs would look at "what every nation is able to do and importantly if a deployment means moving a military asset or capability that is already deployed, how can we backfill those commitments to make sure that we are not simply moving all our available resources into one location and leaving others flanks of Nato exposed".

Pollard's comments come on the same day Prince William, the next king, is visiting Estonia for the first time to show support for UK troops.

This article was updated to add a comment from the British Ministry of Defense.

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