The Estonian head of state expressed his hope that in the wake of the mid-term elections the Congress would continue to place pressure on Russia and demand that it be held to account, and that it would not forget the objective of developing and reinforcing NATO.
Russia’s war of aggression and its impact on transatlantic relations and future security policy choices were discussed during the meeting. “We still share the same goal,” President Karis remarked, “which is to help Ukraine win this war. We need to discuss how to grow our cyber-defence capabilities and to combat the disinformation that Russia is spreading around the world.”
The head of state said that defence cooperation had been at the heart of the transatlantic partnership for many years, and thanked America for its contribution to reinforcing the defensive capabilities of Estonia and the Baltics and for its substantial financial support of the region over so many years. The three Baltic States are receiving a total of 180 million dollars in defence assistance from the USA this year, 60 million of which is being allocated to Estonia. A further 255 million dollars has been earmarked for the region in America’s defence budget for 2023. Estonia plans to invest almost all of this amount in the acquisition of HIMARS multiple rocket launchers.
The delegation from the US Congress comprised Democrats Jeanne Shaheen, Chris Coons, Kirsten Gillibrand and Jacky Rosen and Republicans Jim Risch and Mike Rounds. Also attending the meeting were two House representatives, Democrat Sara Jacobs and Republican Michael McCaul, and the head of the Estonian Defence Forces, Commander Martin Herem.
