Estonia to allocate €110m in support for Ukraine with focus on drones
Estonia is set to allocate at least 0.25% of its GDP, or about €110 million, to support Ukraine in 2026, with a primary focus on drones and counter-drone systems.
Source: Ukraine's Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov on Facebook; Ukraine's Defence Ministry
Details: The decision to allocate the funds was confirmed by Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur.
Quote from Fedorov: "The main focus is on the procurement of drones and counter-UAV systems. This strengthens our capabilities in the most critical domains of the war."
More details: Estonia will also allocate €5.7 million to support the digital transformation of Ukraine's Armed Forces. Fedorov said Estonia, working with Luxembourg, leads the IT Coalition, which has mobilised a total of €1.4 billion for communication systems and technological solutions.
Ukraine's Defence Ministry said Fedorov and Pevkur have also signed a letter of intent to strengthen cooperation in weapons production.
Quote from Ukraine's Defence Ministry: "Output under this cooperation will primarily be directed towards strengthening the defence forces of Ukraine. The document also opens up opportunities for technology exchange and the development of production capacities."
Background:
- Following a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (also known as the Ramstein format), Estonia joined efforts to strengthen Ukraine's air defence and allocated US$13 million to the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) programme.
- Ukrainska Pravda reported earlier that in October last year, Estonia delivered a batch of drones to Ukraine worth tens of millions of euros. At the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Estonia had provided Ukraine with military aid worth €370 million, more than 1% of its GDP.
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