Estonia will deliver drones worth tens of millions of euros to Ukraine this week and join the PURL aid package.
Estonian Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur announced this ahead of the NATO Defence Ministers’ meeting, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.
Pevkur expressed regret over the recent decline in military aid to Ukraine.
“So this is why we decided, additionally to what we have already done, that we are also sending this week a lot of drones worth tens of millions,” the minister said.
He also informed that his country had decided to join the Baltic-Nordic PURL aid package. Four packages under this initiative have already been agreed upon (each worth about half a billion), and the next one will come from the Nordic and Baltic countries.
“So this is good news. Our contribution will be 12 million US dollars,” Pevkur stated, adding that the North-Baltic package will be finalized very soon, perhaps even today.
He also noted that the Ukrainian Minister of Defence is celebrating his birthday today and expressed confidence that partners have prepared “good birthday presents.”
The Estonian Defence Minister mentioned that several weeks ago, he visited Ukraine, where he toured drone interceptor factories, and added that some Estonian companies are already producing such interceptors. “We have a long test day next week when we will see how effective they are,” he said.
According to the minister, much remains to be done, as Ukrainian experience shows that the defenders still cannot “see and catch” about 20–25% of drones. Moreover, Russians are already using Geran-3 drones equipped with jet engines.
“So the industry has to work here very intensively because I believe that all of the countries have the financing for that,” Pevkur emphasized.
He underlined that U.S. contributions to Ukraine have significantly decreased this year, so “it’s not only for us—it’s for all the allies to help Ukraine win this war.”
The Estonian official recalled Russia’s violation of Estonian airspace in September and Tallinn’s subsequent decision to initiate consultations under Article 4 of the NATO Treaty.
“Yes, this time they came to the border. They stepped out from the woods onto the road. And yes, the reality is that there is a short part of Estonian territory that is entered from the Russian side. So we had to deal with that,” Pevkur stressed, thanking his Italian colleagues who took part in the interception.
He highlighted the importance of the air policing mission, particularly in the Baltic States, and urged joint efforts with the Alliance’s eastern flank to consider additional measures for strengthening it.
Pevkur also drew attention to a small area of Estonian territory accessible from the Russian side, which Moscow uses for “different activities,” including provocations near the border. Therefore, Estonia is currently building a new road to prevent such incidents and ensure no intrusions occur on its territory.
As reported, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy recently published an analysis showing that over the past two summer months, military aid to Ukraine fell by 43 percent compared to the first half of the year.
Photo: Screenshot from broadcast