Ukraine, Estonia begin drafting bilateral security agreement
Ukraine and Estonia have started work on a draft bilateral security agreement, the Presidential Office said on March 19.
In lieu of NATO membership, Kyiv is seeking to sign similar agreements with as many of its Western allies as possible as it fights Russia’s full-scale invasion.
So far six have been signed with the U.K., Germany, France, Denmark, Italy, and Canada.
Negotiations with Estonia are being conducted by a Ukrainian delegation headed by the head of the Office of the Head of State Andriy Yermak. The Estonian delegation is headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Küllike Syllaste-Elling.
While the details of the agreement with Estonia have yet to be negotiated, those already signed are 10-year deals pledging billions of euros in military aid and support.
France committed to deliver more munitions and provide up to 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) in military aid to Ukraine in 2024.
Speaking on March 19, Estonia’s deputy head of the Office of the President, Ihor Zhovkva, who is also involved in negotiations, said: “It is important to conclude strong security agreements with all the Baltic countries, which provide us with enormous - relative to their GDP - assistance.
“Since Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania also border the aggressor, our security obligations should definitely be mutual.”
Estonia has been one of the leading military donors to Ukraine in terms of share of GDP since the beginning of the all-out war in 2022. Tallinn pledged in January to allocate 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) for Kyiv until the year 2027, a major commitment from a country of 1.3 million people.
Nate Ostiller
