The defense ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia met in the Lithuanian town of Palanga on May 22 and agreed on their key goals ahead of the upcoming NATO summit, including an allied commitment to invest at least 2.5% of GDP in defense.
Key updates on May 22: * UK defense secretary: Intelligence has evidence of Chinese lethal aid to Russia, world needs to 'wake up' * Sweden plans to allocate $7 billion in military aid to Ukraine between 2024-2026 * Source: SBU has a new weapon – Grad-equipped Sea Baby drones * Estonian PM Kallas: Russia is
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said she was concerned that some other European leaders have not viewed the uptick in incidents of sabotage and arrest of suspected spies across the EU to be interconnected.
Key developments on May 20: * Deputy governor: Ukraine controls around 60% of Vovchansk * General Staff: Ukraine fights off Russian attack near Starytsia village in Kharkiv Oblast * Governor: Ukraine strikes Russian base in occupied Luhansk Oblast * Russian media: Oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai damaged after drone attack * Estonian PM: NATO
The NATO allies' fears that sending troops to Ukraine to train the country's soldiers could draw them into war with Russia "are not well-founded," Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said in an interview with the Financial Times published on May 20.
"We're one step closer to setting a historic precedent in Europe," said Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
The Estonian government has held no specific discussions on sending the country's troops to Ukraine, Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said on May 14, according to public broadcaster ERR.
The comments came after the head of Estonia's Armed Forces, General Martin Herem, said earlier in May that there had been talks about the possibility of sending Estonian soldiers to western Ukraine.
Patriarch Kirill, the head of the church, is a staunch backer of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has been accused of using his subordinates in Ukraine and other countries to spread Russian propaganda.
Representatives of Czechia and Estonia will not be in attendance for Russian President Vladimir Putin's upcoming presidential inauguration, the foreign ministers of the respective countries confirmed on May 5.
Estonia started to regularly close the Narva-1 border crossing with Russia between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. local time, the Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported on May 1.
The Estonian Interior Ministry does not plan to conduct forced repatriation of Ukrainian refugees staying in Estonia, Anneli Viks, the ministry's advisor on citizenship and migration policy, said on April 30 in an interview with Estonian media outlet ERR.
Ukraine requires naval vessels for tasks such as the protection of Black Sea shipping routes.
NATO's largest cyber defense exercise, Locked Shields, began in Tallinn, Estonia, on April 24, drawing participants from over 40 countries, including Ukraine.
During a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Tallinn on April 3, Estonian President Alar Karis reaffirmed support for Ukraine's attacks on military targets in Russia, stating that it was "perfectly legitimate for the Ukrainian forces to destroy infrastructure critical to the Russian army."
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that Tallinn is considering joining the Czech-led initiative to buy critically-needed artillery shells for Ukraine, Czech media outlet Ceske Noviny reported.
The proposal would only impact local elections.
Estonian police have arrested Svetlana Burceva, an Estonian citizen, for allegedly violating international sanctions having served as a reporter for Russian state sponsored Balt News - an arm of the Kremlin-run Russia Today (RT) news outlet, Estonian publication Eesti Ekspress reported on March 27.
"We discussed further assistance for Ukraine from Estonia and other partners and the progress in the preparation of a bilateral security agreement," President Volodymyr Zelensky said, according to his Telegram channel.
Lauri Hussar, the speaker of the Riigikogu, Estonia's Parliament, visited Kyiv on March 26 and met with his Ukrainian counterpart Ruslan Stefanchuk.
"Support from the U.S. has significantly helped Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania fast-track several military infrastructure and capability development projects," Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said in a statement.
Key developments on March 21: * Russian missile attack on Kyiv injures at least 13, including child * Russia continues to redeploy Black Sea Fleet from Crimea, Ukraine promises ‘new steps’ to target it * Estonia unveils $22 million defense package * Official: Russia fires at occupied Kherson Oblast infrastructure in 'provocation' act, causes
"We want to have peace, but we want to have sustainable peace and peace on Russia's terms is not sustainable," Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said.
"The package includes recoilless anti-tank guns, explosives, various types of artillery ammunition, gas masks, sniper equipment, smaller caliber ammunition, and more," Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said.
Ukraine and Estonia have started work on a draft bilateral security agreement, the Presidential Office said on March 19.
Foreign Minister Margus Tsakhna said, "With its actions, the Russian Embassy has interfered in the internal matters of Estonia in an unacceptable way."
The 367 people banned from entering Russia include a wide variety of current and former political and military leaders from the Baltic countries.
Estonia plans to sign a bilateral agreement on security guarantees under the Group of Seven (G7) Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on March 8 during the joint press conference in Vilnius.
An Estonian arms dealer sold laser target markers destined for the Ukrainian military at an inflated price, allegedly making millions of euros at the expense of the German taxpayers, according to an investigation by Estonian newspaper Ekspress and German newspaper Die Welt published on March 5.
The Estonian media outlet ERR reported earlier on Feb. 20 that the Estonian Internal Security Service (ISS) detained 10 people in connection with a series of crimes committed in late 2023, including vandalism of a car belonging to Estonian Interior Minister Lauri Laanemets.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas also said that European countries should do more to support Ukraine against Russian aggression.
The transfer marks the second time the U.S. has sent confiscated Russian money to Ukraine, and the first time such funds have been sent to a foreign ally with the intent of providing aid to Ukraine.
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