Estonia this year will direct 3.4 percent of GDP for defense. This was announced by Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal in a telephone conversation with the elected US President Donald Trump.
During the conversation, the cooperation of Tallinn and Washington was discussed both in bilateral relations and in providing support to Ukraine and strengthening the military potential of NATO, the press service of the Estonian government said.
Michal congratulated Trump on a confident victory in the US presidential election in early November, confirming that Estonia in transatlantic relations remains a convinced ally that the United States may rely on.
The politician also emphasized the importance of further support of Ukraine to achieve a sustainable and fair world, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin still “intends to seize the whole of Ukraine and thoroughly change the structure of European security”.
“The only way to the sustainable world is to remain uniform and support Ukraine until victory,” Mikhal said.
The Estonian Prime Minister also confirmed the support of the strengthening of NATO’s military potential and the increase in defense investments in Europe, indicating the need to coordinate in NATO the minimum amount of military spending countries at a level above 2 percent of the GDP.
“taking into account the increased Russian threat, the targeted indicator of NATO expenses for defense of 2 percent is no longer enough. At the last NATO summit, the next year in the Hague, a new joint goal of defense costs should be agreed,” Mikhal said, noting that this Estonia will direct 3.4 percent of GDP.