Estonian defmin in Ramstein: Let Ukraine strike Russian air bases

Russian warplane is burning on the Soltsy air base in the Novgorod region in northwestern Russia on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. Photo: Sirena telegram channel / AP / Scanpix

At the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, held on Thursday and Friday at the Ramstein air base, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said that Ukraine needs to be allowed to strike back at Russian air bases.

«Estonia's position has been and remains very clear -- we must give Ukraine everything it needs and quickly so that they can win the war and push the enemy out of their territory. We all see the media reports about Russian attacks on residential buildings, even far from the front lines in western Ukraine. Russia is also massively attacking critical infrastructure to leave people without heat and electricity for the winter. Ukrainians know where these strikes are coming from, but those points are currently out of their reach. Therefore, let Ukraine strike back at these air bases to eliminate the sources of attacks and save lives,» Pevkur said.

«The Ukrainian success in Kursk has shown that Russia cannot control what happens on its own territory. Russia is provoked by fear and weakness -- when met with a show of strength, they will crumble,» he added.

Meeting with Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Pevkur provided an overview of Estonia's next aid plans to Ukraine and handed over a list of Estonia’s defense industry capabilities for producing support next year.

«Our latest shipment of Mistral short-range air defense missile systems reached Ukraine at the end of July. With this, Estonia has surpassed its commitment to support Ukraine with 0.25 percent of its GDP annually. If all countries contribute similarly in the long term, we can lead to Ukraine's victory. We will continue our efforts, and as soon as we receive feedback from Ukraine on their needs that the Estonian defense industry can meet, we will immediately proceed with procurement to ensure that this aid reaches Ukraine's defenders as quickly as possible,» Pevkur added.

At a meeting of capability coalitions' lead nations, Estonia was represented by Tuuli Duneton, deputy secretary general for defense policy, who leads the IT coalition steering group co-chaired by Estonia and Luxembourg. Duneton noted that the meeting provided a good opportunity to discuss progress and to invite others to join, contribute, and build upon previous commitments.

«So far, 13 countries have joined the coalition, and Spain officially joined during the meeting. We have raised nearly 70 million euros in financial contributions and received 90 million euros in material donations, amounting to a total of 160 million euros in support,« Duneton explained. «Several deliveries have already reached Ukraine and are in use on the battlefield.»

The IT coalition, led by Estonia and Luxembourg, was initiated at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in September 2023. The goal of the coalition is to support the Ukrainian armed forces in establishing a secure IT infrastructure that meets NATO standards, contributing to Ukraine's combat capability.