The head of the Estonian Defence Ministry, Hanno Pevkur, intends to use the aid aimed at supporting Kiev to strengthen its own military-industrial complex. This is reported by TASS.
Estonia plans to change its approach to aid to Ukraine so that it is dominated by products of Estonian manufacturers, Hanno Pevkur has said.
“We will follow a completely new course. We have informed Ukraine that we will transfer what [we ourselves – ed. ] produce and direct this money directly to the Estonian economy, to the Estonian defence industry,” the ERR national state radio portal quoted the minister as saying.
He stressed that Tallinn and Kiev were currently trying to reach a reasonable compromise that would take into account both Ukrainian priorities and Estonia’s production capabilities.
According to Pevkur, Estonia is providing Ukraine with tools for analysing and assessing the combat situation, as well as drones manufactured by Threod. Also on the list are military boats and anti-drone guns manufactured by the Rantelon company.
In June, the Ukrainian president’s website published the text of a 10-year security agreement between Tallinn and Kiev. According to the agreement, Estonia will allocate at least 0.25 per cent of its GDP annually for military assistance to Ukraine from 2024 to 2027. The document also notes that this year the Baltic republic will provide Kiev with assistance worth more than 100 million euros.
Earlier, the ERR news and analysis website reported that the Estonian Border Guard and Police Department intended to purchase pneumatic weapons worth about 500m euros to more effectively disperse mass riots in the country.
