It is of great significance to me as the supreme commander of Estonia’s national defence that NATO is decisively implementing the reinforced defence posture established in Madrid last year. Approval of its regional defence plans is very important to the alliance as a whole, but primarily to the Baltic region: it means that the capability and the resources – i.e. forces, management structures and pre-positioning – are in place to defend Estonia from the very first metre. This is vital when we consider the speed at which we must be prepared to respond, since any advance warning in the immediate vicinity of Russia is likely to be short.
Estonia has repeatedly stressed that the existing level of investment in defence is insufficient to guarantee Europe’s security in the current situation. For this reason it is incredibly significant that the Vilnius summit brought confirmation that 2% of GDP is the minimum amount that NATO allies should be investing in their defence capabilities. We know that figure could be higher; nevertheless, this is a very important step in the right direction and was not easy to achieve.
I am delighted with the news that broke immediately prior to the summit pertaining to Sweden’s imminent accession to the alliance. Estonian security will gain much from it, as will that of the Baltic Sea region and NATO as a whole. Sweden must join us at the table as a fully fledged member as soon as possible.
The Vilnius summit has reiterated NATO’s strong and united support for Ukraine, in terms of both practical assistance to ensure its military victory and pertaining to its future in the Euro-Atlantic family. The first meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council on Wednesday will bring the Ukrainians closer to the alliance than ever before and create an entirely new opportunity to provide a framework and the political impetus for their future accession. I thank all of the decision-makers and experts in the Estonian field of defence who helped our country prepare for the Vilnius summit in the best possible way.
