Estonia will participate in the purchase of U.S.-made weapons for Ukraine under the PURL initiative and is ready to deploy a military contingent to Ukraine if such a step is approved by the Coalition of the Willing.
This was announced by Estonian President Alar Karis at a press conference in Brussels alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
“The U.S.-NATO PURL weapons initiative is excellent in this regard. I want to emphasize today that Estonia fully supports this initiative, and we are happy to participate in these efforts. Estonia will continue supporting Ukraine in defending its freedom,” Karis said.
He added that just this year, Estonia spent 0.3 percent of its GDP on direct military support for Ukraine and noted that the country’s defense industry is increasingly cooperating with Ukraine’s defense sector.
The president emphasized that Ukraine deserves an end to the war, but Estonia knows from its own history that only a well-guaranteed peace can be strong and lasting.
“The Estonian government is ready to send troops as part of the Coalition of the Willing to guarantee and ensure peace in Ukraine. We continue to participate in this planning,” he said.
At the same time, Karis stressed that direct proximity to Russia does not automatically mean greater threat in today’s war, given missile technologies.
He highlighted the importance of keeping U.S. forces stationed on European soil and said he plans to meet with the U.S. European Command commander to discuss the matter.
