Estonian defense minister briefs NATO secretary general on 'shadow fleet' vessel
Estonian Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels on Friday. During the meeting, Pevkur briefed Rutte on the situation related to the Russian "shadow fleet" vessel detained in the Gulf of Finland on Friday.
"I am pleased that the Estonian Navy, together with other national agencies, responded decisively and swiftly," Pevkur said after the meeting. "The message to everyone operating in the Baltic Sea is clear – we are monitoring the situation with heightened attention and will intervene decisively if needed."
Also on the agenda in Brussels was the defense of NATO's eastern flank. "Given Russia's increasingly aggressive behavior, it is essential that NATO's message towards Russia is clear and strong. Allied forces are undisputably present on the eastern flank, and there are no plans to change that," the defense minister said.
Pevkur is in Brussels to participate in the U.K.- and France-led defense ministers' meeting of the so-called "Coalition of the Willing," as well as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting.
During the Coalition of the Willing talks, an initial exchange between 30 countries was held to discuss the potential deployment of a European security mission to Ukraine.
"I can say that the planning underway is concrete and realistic, with the aim of both strengthening Ukraine's position in negotiations and sending a clear signal to Russia – we have Ukraine's back," the Estonian Defense minister said.
At the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, the focus was on Ukraine's urgent military assistance needs.
"I confirmed our continued and unwavering support for Ukraine – as promised, we will send military aid amounting to at least 0.25 percent of our GDP each year, which equals over €100 million. Based on current decisions, this year's support already exceeds 0.3 percent of GDP." Pevkur explained,
The minister added that Estonia will also continue co-leading the IT Coalition with Luxembourg.
"Estonia's contribution to the coalition this year is €5 million. The first part of this is allocated for building communications modules for two brigade-level command posts. The second part will fund critical tactical communications and cyber defense needs," he said
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Editor: Michael Cole
