According to President Karis, Estonia has three clear objectives for The Hague Summit: a significant increase in defence spending, a clear message about the threat from Russia and strong additional support for Ukraine.
President Karis added that Estonia supports raising the new level of defence spending to 5% of GDP and considers it necessary to agree on a concrete and short timeframe to achieve this. “Over the next four years, Estonia’s defence spending will reach 5.4% of GDP,” he said. “This is a direct contribution not only to Estonia’s defence capabilities, but to those of NATO as a whole.”
According to the President of the Republic, the need to increase NATO’s defence spending stems from defence plans. “The ambitions of Russia are not limited to Ukraine, but are aimed at weakening NATO as a whole – through direct military pressure as well as hybrid attacks, including sabotage and shadow fleet activities in the Baltic Sea,” emphasised the President. “In NATO, we must address these threats seriously and jointly.”
The leaders of the NATO eastern flank and Nordic countries discussed support for Ukraine. “NATO must continue to provide strong political and military support to Ukraine, because it’s a key issue for European security,” said President Karis. He also added that Ukraine’s path to NATO is irreversible. “Ukraine’s membership is more than a political goal, it’s a security guarantee for Ukraine and Europe as a whole.”
The leaders of NATO’s eastern flank and Nordic countries also had a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. President Karis pointed out that the loss of life and the widespread destruction in recent weeks – in Kyiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Odessa and elsewhere – show that Russia is not interested in peace talks. “Attacking civilians, including children, is a reminder that Russia does not want peace, but the continuation of war,” the President said.
“Russia’s war against Ukraine concerns the whole of Europe. This is about European security and the right of every nation to choose its allies. Ukraine has the sovereign right to decide its own foreign and security policy – including accession to the European Union and NATO.”
President Karis highlighted the recent positive decisions from Germany and other allies.
The meeting was attended by the leaders of NATO’s eastern flank (B9) and Nordic countries, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. President Karis will return to Estonia late this evening.
Photos of the visit: Raigo Pajula/Office of the President of the Republic of Estonia https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCgp65
