On 2 July, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna met with a visiting delegation from the US Congress to discuss the US contribution to the defense and deterrence posture of the Baltic States, as well as the continued military support to Ukraine. Tsahkna emphasised the irreplaceable role of the US in NATO and the wider Euro-Atlantic security architecture.
The delegation, headed by Tom Cole, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, and including representatives Mario Díaz-Balart, Chuck Fleischmann, Chuck Edwards, and Jake Ellzey, discussed US security assistance to the Baltic States, which is an important addition to their defence spending.
“Estonia is serious about defending itself, demonstrated by the fact that we have raised our defence spending to exceed 3.4% of GDP,” Tsahkna said. “US security assistance is an important addition, allowing us to implement several capability-building projects more quickly and accelerate the reinforcement of Estonia’s military capabilities.”
The Baltic Security Initiative (BSI) was established in 2020. Through this initiative, the US Department of Defense supports the independent defence capabilities and interoperability of the Baltic States. The Foreign Military Financing programme of the Department of State has been crucial for the Baltic States.
Minister Tsahkna assured that every dollar contributed by the USA to Estonia’s security is matched with six dollars from Estonia. He also emphasised that all security assistance is diverted back to the US economy through defence procurements.
The minister underlined the importance for Allies to increase their defence spending to a minimum target of 2.5% of GDP in the Euro-Atlantic region. In addition, he noted that Estonia aimed to allocate 0.25% of GDP to support Ukraine, and if all like-minded countries did the same, Ukraine would be able to win the war.
“The worth of the Ukraine aid bill adopted in the US Congress this spring is in the same range, and in addition to weapons, it also gave Ukraine hope, which is vital,” the minister said.
