Ukraine and Estonia DMs sign cooperation memorandum

The defense ministers of Ukraine and Estonia, Mykhailo Fedorov and Hanno Pevkur, have signed a memorandum of cooperation that will enable the two countries’ defense industries to expand their collaboration.

This was reported by a Ukrinform correspondent.

“An important area of our potential cooperation and the development of win-win relations is joint production of products. We have signed a memorandum that essentially launches this process of integrating our defense industries. There is still a lot of work ahead to implement this plan, but the first step has been taken, and I am confident that we will see the first results of this cooperation in the near future,” emphasized the Ukrainian Minister of Defense.

Fedorov noted that Estonia is one of the leading providers of aid to Ukraine, considering the percentage of its GDP allocated to support.

“Estonia has already made contributions and announced 0.25% of its GDP for military aid to our country this year, which amounts to approximately 110 million euros. This is not just a contribution to the security of our country, but to the security of the entire region, to the security of Europe,” the head of the Ministry of Defense emphasized.

He also thanked the Estonian government for its USD 13 million contribution to the PURL program, which will enable Ukraine to continue receiving anti-ballistic missiles from its American partners to protect critical infrastructure and the civilian population.

The parties also discussed a number of issues related to long-range artillery and joint weapons production, the Ukrainian official added.

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For his part, the Estonian Defense Minister emphasized that the signed memorandum is a very important step in defense-industrial cooperation, which not only gives Ukraine more opportunities to defend itself but also allows Estonian companies to develop and learn from Ukraine.

“We know that combat experience is the best kind of experience. And so I truly hope that we will be able to move very quickly to the ‘Build with Ukraine’ initiative and begin joint production of many drones. Regarding artillery… I am pleased to say that we have signed a contract with a major manufacturer that is also ready to produce for Ukraine if necessary,” Pevkur noted.

The Estonian official noted that ongoing support for Ukraine at 0.25% of GDP is the minimum, and expressed hope that the Estonian government would increase it to 0.35%.

“It will likely be around 0.35% this year, and if that happens, or if everyone does the same, then you will have about 120–130 billion to defend your country,” said Pevkur, noting that Ukraine can already use 90 billion euros from the EU to strengthen its capabilities.

The Estonian minister noted that the Estonian-Ukrainian Defense Industry Forum, which recently brought together hundreds of participants, demonstrated growing interest among companies in both countries in collaboration and cooperation.

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“While there were about 100 participants in the hall last year, this year there are already over 300. This shows that your companies are interested in cooperating with ours, and I know that our companies are already present here in Ukraine. And many would like to cooperate so that your companies come to Estonia. This is what we need to address,” Pevkur noted.

As reported by Ukrinform, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stated that work has already begun on the 21st package of EU sanctions against Russia.

Photo: Screenshot from video