Estonia and Ukraine Sign Defense Cooperation Agreement

At the recent Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Ramstein, Estonia's Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur and Ukrainian Minister of Defense Oleskii Reznikov signed a defense cooperation agreement between the two countries. The agreement outlines plans for continued cooperation and information exchange between Estonia and Ukraine in various areas, such as defense policy and planning, intelligence, situational awareness, defense education and training, and more.

During their first cabinet meeting, the Estonian government also approved Pevkur's decision to send urgently needed artillery ammunition to Ukraine. This contribution is part of the European Union's agreement to send one million rounds of artillery ammunition to Ukraine. Estonia is moving quickly to deliver the ammunition and will continue to work on subsequent aid packages.

Minister Pevkur emphasized that the cooperation agreement signed between Estonia and Ukraine provides a clear framework not only for the political level, but also for all those active in the field of defense. He stated, "With the million rounds of ammunition initiative, we showed that when needed, we can do big things together and fast."

At the Ramstein meeting, Pevkur noted that unity in support of Ukraine was clearly visible among the participants. He added, "It was good to see that the need to continue helping Ukraine resounded in all statements, and several countries around the table also announced sending ammunition as well as other types of urgently needed military aid."

The Ramstein Ukraine Defense Contact Group is a US-led format that has met 12 times to date. The meetings aim to provide an overview of Ukraine's needs and the aid that donors are sending. Over 50 participating states, including NATO and EU allies, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Australia, Morocco, Qatar, and Israel, are represented at the meetings.

Overall, the defense cooperation agreement signed between Estonia and Ukraine and the support shown by the participating countries at the Ramstein meeting demonstrate the commitment of the international community to helping Ukraine during these challenging times.