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Pevkur in Brussels: Estonia will continue supporting Ukraine with at least 0.25% of its GDP

Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Defence

13. February 2025 - 14:29

At today's meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Brussels, NATO defence ministers discussed continued support for Ukraine.

"Military support must help Ukraine reach a position of strength, paving the way for a just and lasting peace," said Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur, who participated in the meeting. "At the Washington Summit, we allies set a goal to support Ukraine with at least €40 billion annually. The good news is that this target has been exceeded—together, in 2024, we provided €50 billion in military aid to Ukraine, 60% of which came from European allies and Canada. This support has helped Ukraine endure and inflict significant losses on Russia, despite Russia allocating a third of its budget to defence."

Estonia will continue supporting Ukraine in their fight against the aggressor with annual contributions amounting to at least 0.25% of its GDP. This includes direct military aid, contributions to the training of Ukrainian armed forces, and co-leading, along with Luxembourg, the IT Coalition supporting Ukraine. "We've also made significant progress on measures enabling Estonian companies to contribute to Ukraine's victory. Nearly 100 companies have expressed interest in offering products and services to support Ukraine's armed forces, with over 500 items now included in the product catalogue. Soon, I will present this list to Ukraine's Defence Minister, allowing Ukrainians to choose based on their critical military needs," Pevkur explained.

"I was also pleased to welcome the new U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, to the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting. It's clear that when we aim to strengthen NATO's defensive capabilities or continue military support for Ukraine, the U.S. plays a crucial role. Estonia and the U.S. share the same perspective on the need to increase defence spending," said Minister Pevkur. "Europe and the U.S. are the world's two largest economic blocs, and given our shared bonds, it is essential that our defence cooperation remains consistently strong. Seventy-five years of peace thanks to NATO is proof of why this is necessary for all allies."

Additionally, a meeting took place between Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and the framework nations of the three NATO battlegroups stationed in the region— the UK, Canada, and Germany—to discuss regional defence cooperation within the NATO framework.