“I thanked Secretary of Defense Austin for his personal contribution and that of the United States in supporting Ukraine and strengthening NATO. Our bilateral defence cooperation and their presence here are of key importance in ensuring the security of Estonia and the Alliance, deterring Russia, and resisting the threats emanating from there,” Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said after the meeting. “The contribution of the United States to the security of Estonia and Europe is unwavering. The reinforced presence of US forces in Estonia and our region is a confirmation of the importance of transatlantic alliance relations and will allow us to make the defence and deterrence stance of NATO on the eastern flank even more effective.”
“It is existentially important for the democratic and rules-based world order that Ukraine wins this war. How Ukraine wins and Russia loses will affect the security of Europe as a whole for a long time to come. In order to ensure the victory of Ukraine, the military aid of the Allies must be continued and increased, and the opportunities of Russia to finance its war of conquest must be limited,” said the prime minister. “We also need to increase the production capacity of the defence industry to give Ukraine the ammunition it needs to win and to strengthen our own defences and restore stocks. I introduced the idea discussed with the heads of state and government of the European Union last week about jointly organised defence procurements in support of Ukraine to the Secretary of Defense Austin, and I hope that we can soon move forward with it in the European Union,” added Kallas.
US Secretary of Defense Austin praised Estonia for its remarkable defence spending, which has risen to nearly 3% of the GDP, and for the role of Estonia in supporting Ukraine and accepting war refugees. They agreed that the democratic world has been a great team in supporting Ukraine. In addition, they discussed the presence of the United States infantry company and the HIMARS multiple rocket launcher unit, which arrived in Estonia on 16 December 2022, and are cooperating with the Estonian Defence Forces in the development of the division based on the agreements concluded at the 2022 NATO Madrid summit.
