Idea to send troops to Ukraine has not developed - Estonian Defense Minister
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur (Getty Images)
The notion of sending troops from Western countries to Ukraine has seen no advancement either at the level of Estonia or within the European Union, said the Estonian Minister of Defense, Hanno Pevkur.
According to him, there has been no specific discussion of such a possibility within the Estonian government.
"There is nothing new here. When France raised the idea of considering whether Europe and allies could do something more, this idea was mentioned in various discussions but did not progress because currently among the allies there is no clear understanding of what it could achieve," Pevkur said.
The American outlet Breaking Defense, citing the security advisor to the Estonian president Alar Karis, made a claim that the Estonian government is seriously discussing the possibility of sending Estonian troops to Ukraine.
"I think they may have given too bold an interpretation to Madis Rollo's words there (in the Breaking Defense publication). From Estonia's side, there is definitely no such initiative, and Estonia certainly does not intend to do anything alone," added the head of the Estonian military agency.
According to Pevkur, the current priority is sending ammunition to Ukraine and training Ukrainian military personnel in other countries.
Macron's idea
French President Emmanuel Macron said at the end of February that sending ground troops to Ukraine should not be ruled out.
Most NATO countries have stated that they are not ready for this yet.
The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that allies should be open to discussing Macron's idea of the possibility of sending NATO troops to Ukraine.
