Estonia hands Ukraine list of products, services it can provide as military assistance

Estonia hands Ukraine list of products, services it can provide as military assistance. Photo: Erik Prozes

During a working visit to Ukraine, the secretary general of the Estonian Defense Ministry, Kaimo Kuusk, handed to Ukrainian officials a list of products and services submitted by Estonian companies, from which Ukrainians can choose based on their critical military needs.

The product catalog handed to Ukraine includes nearly 500 products and services from around 100 Estonian companies.

«To achieve lasting peace in Europe, it must be considered that Putin has not changed the original goals of his aggression -- to subdue Ukraine and rearrange the European security architecture. Just as Putin has no intention of ceasing hostilities also during possible negotiations, we must also maintain unity and ramp up support for Ukraine to achieve a position of strength, while simultaneously increasing political and economic pressure on Russia,» Kuusk said in a press release on Wednesday.

Estonia will continue to support Ukraine in their fight against the aggressor with an amount equaling at least 0.25 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) annually, most of which will be invested in measures that enable Estonian companies to contribute to Ukraine's victory. The feedback received from Ukraine regarding Estonian defense industry products has been consistently very positive, the secretary general added.

In late 2024, the Estonian Center for Defense Investment unveiled a new support measure for the purchase of products and services suitable for use by the Ukrainian defense forces during crisis and in wartime. All Estonian-registered companies meeting the criteria could offer their products or services. The products or services had to be previously developed and marketed, be intended for use by the military during crisis and wartime, and the share of manufacture in Estonia had to be at least 30 percent.

The compliance of applications with the criteria was checked by an expert committee, made up of representatives from the Estonian Center for Defense Investment, the defense forces, the Defense Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the Ministry of Climate, the Foreign Ministry, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, and the government Office.

Kuusk met in Kyiv with Oleksandr Lytvynenko, head of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, and the head of military intelligence, Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, with whom he discussed the situation on the front lines and Estonian-Ukrainian defense cooperation in the short and long term, both in the bilateral and multilateral formats.

«I reaffirmed that Estonia's position remains unchanged -- any peace negotiations can only take place on Ukraine's terms and with Ukraine's presence. For peace to be lasting, a position of strength and effective security guarantees are needed, and both we and the Ukrainians remain convinced that NATO membership is the best, most effective, and credible option for this,» said Kuusk.

He stated that if all countries in the Ramstein coalition contributed 0.25 percent of their GDP annually to military aid for Ukraine, it would amount to up to 120 billion euros per year, providing Ukraine with the necessary leverage for negotiations.

Additionally, the secretary general of the Estonian Defense Ministry visited a National Guard unit in the Zhytomyr region of Ukraine.