Estonian Minister of Defence Pevkur in Ramstein: Let Ukraine Strike Russian air bases

At the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting, held yesterday and today at the Ramstein Air Base, defence ministers were briefed on Ukraine's critical needs, the situation on the battlefield, and the current state of military aid. In addition, Estonian Minister of Defence Pevkur met bilaterally with Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.

"Estonia's position has been and remains very clear: we must give Ukraine everything it needs and quickly so that they can win the war and push the enemy out of their territory. We all see the media reports about Russian attacks on residential buildings, even far from the front lines in western Ukraine. Russia is also massively attacking critical infrastructure to leave people without heat and electricity for the winter. Ukrainians know where these strikes are coming from, but those points are currently out of their reach. Therefore, let Ukraine strike back at these air bases to eliminate the sources of attacks and save lives," said Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur.

"The Ukrainian success in Kursk has shown that Russia cannot control what happens on its own territory. Russia is provoked by fear and weakness - when met with a show of strength, they will crumble," Pevkur added.

Meeting with Ukraine's Defence Minister Umerov, Minister Pevkur provided an overview of Estonia's next aid plans to Ukraine and handed over a list of Estonia's defence industry capabilities for producing support next year. "Our latest shipment of Mistral short-range air defence missile systems reached Ukraine at the end of July. With this, Estonia has surpassed its commitment to support Ukraine with 0.25% of its GDP annually. If all countries contribute similarly in the long term, we can lead to Ukraine's victory. We will continue our efforts, and as soon as we receive feedback from Ukraine on their needs that the Estonian defence industry can meet, we will immediately proceed with procurement to ensure that this aid reaches Ukraine's defenders as quickly as possible," added Minister Pevkur.

At a meeting of capability coalitions' lead nations, Estonia was represented by Undersecretary for Defence Policy Tuuli Duneton, who leads the IT Coalition steering group, co-chaired by Estonia and Luxembourg. Duneton noted that the meeting provided a good opportunity to discuss progress and to invite others to join, contribute, and build upon previous commitments. "So far, 13 countries have joined the coalition, and Spain officially joined during the meeting. We have raised nearly €70 million in financial contributions and received €90 million in material donations, amounting to a total of €160 million in support," Duneton explained. "Several deliveries have already reached Ukraine and are in use on the battlefield."

The IT Coalition, led by Estonia and Luxembourg, was initiated at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting in September 2023. The goal of the coalition is to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces in establishing a secure IT infrastructure that meets NATO standards, contributing to Ukraine's combat capability.

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Photos: Hispaania liitumine IT-koalitsiooniga Ramsteinis (06.09.20… | Flickr