The financial support is intended to strengthen Ukraine’s defense.
Estonian President Alar Karis has committed to providing 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in support to Kyiv until 2027, a significant pledge considering Estonia’s population of 1.3 million.
This commitment follows the visit of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky to Estonia as part of his Baltic tour, highlighting the alliance between the Baltic countries and Ukraine against Russia.
Alongside Lithuania and Latvia, Estonia has consistently been a strong supporter of Kyiv, contributing the highest gross domestic product (GDP) shares among all allies.
Zelensky’s tour began in Lithuania, where he secured a pledge of nearly $220 million for the next three years before moving on to Estonia.
During a joint press conference in Tallinn, Estonian President Karis urged the European Union to enhance its military support for Ukraine as it enters its third year of conflict with Russia. He emphasized the immediate need for more and improved weapons, advocating for an increase in the EU’s military industry capacity to fulfill Ukraine’s requirements.
Estonia has already contributed approximately 500 million euros ($550 million) to Ukraine’s defense efforts since the start of the full-scale war, equivalent to around 1.4% of the country’s GDP. Over the next four years, Tallinn has committed to allocating 0.25% of its GDP for military assistance to Kyiv.
President Karis outlined concrete plans for Estonia’s involvement in Ukraine’s reconstruction and suggested utilizing frozen Russian funds for this purpose. A parliamentary bill to use these assets for funding Ukraine has been approved by an Estonian committee but still awaits parliamentary majority approval and the president’s signature.
Discussing the topic of a ceasefire, President Karis mentioned that informal discussions among Western allies are ongoing to gauge sentiments. Estonia maintains its position that peace will prevail when Ukraine emerges victorious in the conflict.
President Zelensky echoed this sentiment, rejecting the possibility of a ceasefire with Moscow, emphasizing that any pause could be advantageous to Russia and detrimental to Ukraine’s position in the conflict.
