Estonia to allocate EUR 100 million annually to Ukraine for defense – Shmyhal
Estonia supports Ukraine's defense by allocating EUR 542 million and is actively involved in its restoration.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said this during a meeting with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Censor.NET reports citing Interfax-Ukraine.
"We held constructive talks on a wide range of issues and outlined our common positions. I am grateful for Estonia's large-scale defense support, which has already reached almost EUR 542 million or 1.4% of the country's GDP. Estonia's decision to annually allocate at least 0.25% of its GDP for Ukraine's defense was a landmark," Shmyhal said.
Kristen Michal, in turn, emphasized that the annual allocation of 0.25% of GDP to support Ukraine is a commitment of his country: "This will mean that Ukraine will receive EUR 100 million from us annually. We are trying to encourage our partners and allies to do the same."
The Estonian prime minister also called on European partners to strengthen defense capabilities in the production of ammunition for Ukraine.
In addition, Estonia is actively involved in the restoration of Ukraine. According to Shmyhal, this country was the first to declare patronage over the Zhytomyr region.
According to the Prime Minister, in the energy sector, Estonia has made a significant contribution to Ukraine's resilience. More than 140 transformers and over 300 units of power equipment have been transferred through the EU civil protection mechanism alone. Estonia has also allocated EUR 400 thousand to the Energy Support Fund for Ukraine.
"In the near future, Ukraine will receive a power unit from an Estonian power plant, which will be able to provide electricity to 150 thousand people. We are also discussing the transfer of two more power units in 2025," added Shmyhal.
Following the meeting, the parties signed a joint statement that envisages strengthening bilateral cooperation.
Today, December 9, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal arrived in Kyiv on an official visit to discuss Ukraine's path to the EU and NATO.
