US Congress passes financing bill including USD 228 mln in security aid for Baltics

TALLINN – The US Congress on Friday passed a government funding legislation, which also includes 228 million US dollars in security aid for the Baltic states.

This year, the US has also provided Estonia with 47,3 million dollars within the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program, spokespeople for the Estonian Defense Ministry said.

"Support from the US has significantly helped Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania fast-track several military infrastructure and capability development projects. The good news is that the support is slightly higher than last year. This sends a clear signal that the US, the largest ally in NATO, is committed to the security and stability of our region," Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur said.

Created in 2020, the Baltic Security Initiative (BSI) is a measure through which the US Department of Defense supports developing the defense capability and interoperability of the three Baltic states. Last year, 225 million dollars were allocated to the Baltic states within the BSI, and in 2022 the sum was 169 million dollars. The focus of the funding is on developing air defense, maritime situational awareness and land forces. The Estonian share of the funding will be determined by fall this year.