Estonian defmin meets Ukrainian counterpart, security council chairman in Kyiv

TALLINN - Estonian Minister of Defense of Estonia Hanno Pevkur met on Monday in Kyiv with Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov and chairman of the security council Oleksii  Danilov to discuss Estonia's aid to Ukraine, situation on the front and opportunities for bilateral cooperation, including the development of the defense industry.

Pevkur said that the supporters of Ukraine need to maintain their resolve and continue on the chosen course.

"We need to get the defense industry up and running at a wartime scale, let Ukraine progress at its own pace on the field, and at the same time maintain unity and aid. Ukraine needs our support and help to win this war," said Pevkur.

At the meeting, the minister of defense of Ukraine gave an overview of the latest developments on the battlefield and the assistance of Western countries. Pevkur gave the new minister an overview of Estonia's military aid so far. Estonia has provided Ukraine with Javelin anti-tank missile system missiles, howitzers, artillery ammunition, anti-tank mines, anti-tank grenade launchers, mortars, vehicles, communication equipment, field hospitals, medical supplies, personal protective gear and food rations. In cooperation with allies, Estonia has donated Ukraine three field hospitals, two of them in cooperation with Germany and one in cooperation with the Netherlands and Norway. The fourth hospital was prepared for shipment in cooperation with Iceland and Germany last week, and Pevkur handed over the symbolic key of this hospital to Umerov on Monday.

"However, in general, Ukraine's success on the battlefield largely depends on international cooperation. Here, it is important that the initiative of one million rounds launched by Estonia is fulfilled and that the defense industry of the allied countries is able to support Ukraine as well as provide the allies with the weapons and equipment they need," Pevkur said, adding that Estonia plans to continue supporting Ukraine with the training of troops as well.

At the meeting of the Ukrainian contact group in Ramstein last month, Estonia together with Luxembourg and Ukraine launched an IT coalition, which will support the Ukrainian forces in the cyber field to help increase Ukraine's combat capability. Estonia is one of the coalition's leading countries, and at the meeting, Pevkur gave an overview of the initiative's current developments.

In addition to the Ukrainian minister of defense, Pevkur also met Oleksii Danilov, the chairman of the security council of Ukraine, with whom they discussed the strategic opportunities and future perspective of the war in Ukraine, and visited Irpin and Butcha. Pevkur placed flowers on the wall of dead soldiers, commemorating among others Estonians Ivo Jurak and Tanel Kriggul, who died in Ukraine.