Tsahkna said Russia is nonetheless testing allies through sabotage and cyberattacks, and that NATO remains ready to defend every inch of allied territory.

The NATO chief was in Tallinn Wednesday and met with the foreign minister. The two discussed implementation of decisions taken at the NATO summit in Ankara in July, continued support for Ukraine, regional security, and Russia's acts of sabotage against allies.

"During today's visit, the NATO Secretary General emphasized what Estonia has consistently said: there are no Russian forces or other signs of preparations for an imminent military confrontation with NATO at NATO's borders," Tsahkna said. "At the same time, Russia is testing NATO allies through acts of sabotage and cyberattacks, but the alliance remains vigilant and united," he continued, via a ministry press release.

According to Tsahkna, NATO has taken highly practical measures in recent years demonstrating its readiness to defend allies decisively and in line with NATO plans.

"The Secretary General confirmed that NATO is ready and able to respond to any threat and defend every inch of allied territory. Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, which states that an attack against one ally is an attack against all Allies, remains in force," said Tsahkna. "NATO has demonstrated this repeatedly in recent years. It has responded to airspace violations and damage to critical infrastructure with concrete measures, confirming that the Alliance is ready to act."

NATO has consistently demonstrated its readiness to defend every inch of Allied territory. To ensure this remains true in the years ahead, we discussed today in Tallinn with @SecGenNATO Mark Rutte how to turn growing defence investments into real capabilities and keep NATO's deterrence and defence strong. We also discussed support for Ukraine. A just and lasting peace must be the goal, and Ukraine needs continued military assistance to defend itself against Russia's aggression. @NATO's PURL mechanism remains crucial, and Estonia will contribute an additional €10 million to Ukraine through this initiative.

— Margus Tsahkna (@Tsahkna) October 14, 2026

Tsahkna said the two also discussed how NATO can ensure it remains capable of countering future threats. "Increasing defense investment by European Allies and Canada will enable NATO to meet its capability targets more quickly and strengthen its deterrence and defense posture," he said.

The discussions also covered expanding defense industry production capacity, applying lessons from Russia's war against Ukraine, and further support for Ukraine.

"It is in the long-term security interests of all NATO Allies that Russia's aggression against Ukraine ends with a just and lasting peace. For now, the priority is to equip Ukraine ahead of its fifth winter of war so that it can effectively protect its population and civilian infrastructure from Russia's increasingly brutal aerial terror and continue fighting for its independence and sovereignty," Tsahkna said.

He added that NATO support, including through the PURL mechanism, remains crucial to providing military assistance to Ukraine. "Estonia has so far contributed €21 million to Ukraine through the PURL initiative and will soon provide an additional €10 million through this mechanism."

"Estonia will continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine amounting to at least 0.25 percent of GDP each year, and our own defense investment already exceeds 5 percent of GDP," Tsahkna said.

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