The news outlet ERR, part of Estonia’s Public Broadcasting corporation reported that during an Oct. 26 discussion between Estonia’s Defense Minister, Hanno Pevkur, and the commander of its Defense Forces, Major General Andrus Merilo, about the need to purchase missiles and drones, the possibility of including Ukrainian producers in any future tender process arose.
According to ERR, which forms part of the Estonian Public Broadcasting corporation, the pair discussed purchasing long-range missiles, such as the Neptune, from Ukraine. However, they ruled out the idea as they considered them to be significantly inferior to those produced by other Western manufacturers.
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However, the heads of Tallinn’s defense organization concluded that the range and quality of drones that Kyiv has developed out of necessity during its war with Russia made them worthy of consideration.
Pevkur said: “The quality of drones in Ukraine is very good. A variety of models are produced there… if we announce a tender, it will be open to Ukrainian enterprises as well as for Estonian and Western ones to put forward proposals.”
He said that he will have a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, later this month, when the possibility of purchasing weapons from Ukraine will be among the issues discussed.
In September, Pevkur said that Estonia had spent more than €750 million ($814 million) on the purchase of ammunition over the past two years, which was more than it had spent during the previous 30 years. He said that the country was intending to set aside a further €3 billion ($3.26 billion) for defense expenditure between now and 2028.
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Pevkur said that the Estonian government was considering purchasing suitable weapons from the Ukrainian defense industry. He said that this would offer a cost-effective solution for his defense forces given that some Ukrainian weapons cost a fifth of their Western counterparts, whilst also offering comparable levels of performance. This in turn would help the Ukrainian defense industry in its efforts to increase production.
Asked about the current Ukrainian ban on weapons exports imposed by martial law regulations, Pevkur said he thought the ban would not be an obstacle if both countries come to an agreement, with such cooperation being mutually beneficial.
“We have already discussed this issue [with Ukraine]. If there are companies in Ukraine that can offer what we need, then [Umerov] sees no political limitations in this, Pevkur added.
“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.”
ERR said that the amount and nature of Estonia’s next package of military aid for Ukraine would be on the agenda of a future cabinet meeting to be scheduled in the next few weeks.
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