Estonia to Provide Ukraine with €20 Million Military Aid Including Cannons and Ammunition
During his visit to Kyiv on Thursday, Estonian Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur announced that his country will be sending a new package of military assistance worth €20 million to Ukraine. This information was shared by the Estonian Ministry of Defence.
The package will include artillery shells, anti-tank cannons, explosives, gas masks, sniper equipment, and smaller calibre ammunition.
"We have put together this package with a focus on ensuring maximum benefit for Ukraine while also ensuring that it does not diminish Estonia's defence readiness," said Hanno Pevkur.
It's worth noting that this package includes 155mm artillery shells, which is an additional contribution from Estonia to the European Union's initiative to supply one million shells to Ukraine. This contribution is partially financed by Denmark. The specific quantity of ammunition is not disclosed by the Estonian government due to security reasons.
Hanno Pevkur emphasized that as summer approaches, Ukraine primarily needs ammunition, all components of air defence, as well as spare parts and electronic warfare equipment.
"The assessment of the situation on the front line by Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustam Umerov confirmed the necessity of our package but also clearly indicated that Ukraine needs ammunition, all elements of air defence, as well as technical spare parts and electronic warfare equipment before summer," noted Hanno Pevkur, commenting on the meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart.
The Gaze previously reported that Estonia urged the European Union to consider issuing €100 billion in eurobonds to support its defence industry while increasing arms supplies to Ukraine. This was stated by Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who believes that the new European Commission after the June elections should adopt a unified approach to security similar to that used in combating the coronavirus pandemic.
The idea of joint financial measures to strengthen the continent's defence capabilities was also supported by French President Emmanuel Macron and European Council President Charles Michel. However, more conservative countries such as the Netherlands and Germany may be less interested in this proposal.