Estonia wants to buy Ukrainian military products

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur has expressed a desire to buy military products from Ukraine. According to him, such cooperation could help Ukraine increase production.

The head of the Ukrainian Center for New Geopolitical Studies, Mykhailo Samus, noted that since Ukraine is under martial law, exports are currently banned.

“The export of arms and military equipment is simply prohibited. In addition, we need everything at the front. So it's hard to imagine that some leftover ammunition will go to Estonia or another country instead of the front. It is unrealistic,” he said.

At the same time, Samus spoke about an option that could still circumvent the ban. It is about investments from Estonia and the location of the company in the Baltic country.

“It is possible that with the help of investments from the Estonian government and with the participation of Ukrainian specialists - but on the territory of Estonia - it is possible. That is, a joint venture is being created that will produce these products for the Estonian army. And it will not be an export, which is prohibited, but production for the benefit of the Estonian army,” he added.

In turn, the Estonian Defense Minister said that the export ban would not be an obstacle if the countries manage to reach an agreement. Pevkur noted that such cooperation would be beneficial for both his country and Ukraine. In particular, the Ukrainian state would receive more money, and thus invest more in its army.

“If we get the consent of the Ukrainian government, then, of course, we can do it. We need to understand here that this can only be done in such a way that if we buy, Ukraine gets more money. And they will be able to produce more for their army,” the minister emphasized.

According to Pevkur, if the parties do reach an agreement, Estonia will buy only what is necessary for the country. In particular, we are talking about missiles.

“Long-range missiles are, of course, interesting for us. There are many different options. Of course, we can't talk in detail, but first of all, we will look at these systems that can affect the enemy at a long range,” he said.

The media outlet added that next week Pevkur will meet with Ukraine's Defense Minister in Brussels, and then, in the coming weeks, the Estonian minister will arrive in Ukraine.

Yesterday, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine and France could set up joint defense enterprises. Moreover, the parties have already discussed a new model of cooperation.