Departing Estonian defence minister tells allies about work done in office
Estonia's outgoing defence minister Hanno Pevkur wrote to his British and German counterparts explaining his resignation and thanking them for supporting Estonia's security. He urged Europe to keep backing Ukraine.
Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur (Reform Party) sent letters last week to the defence ministers of the United Kingdom and Germany, informing them of his decision to resign, summarizing his term's achievements and thanking allies for their contribution to Estonia's security.
In a letter to British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, Pevkur explained he decided to take political responsibility following remarks from the National Audit Office concerning inventory management within the Defence Forces and the procurement of ammunition for Ukraine, where a contractual partner failed to meet its obligations. Pevkur noted that although a minister does not handle day-to-day inventory tracking or negotiate procurement contracts, the minister ultimately bears responsibility for the defence sector as a whole, and therefore he decided to resign from his post starting next week. He stressed that he is leaving with a clear conscience and confidence in the strategic decisions made in recent years.
Achievements and thanks to allies
In the letters, Pevkur listed the results of his tenure: Estonia's defence spending rose from two to more than five percent of GDP, the size of the Defence Forces nearly doubled, and the country invested in ammunition and new weapons systems. He said air defence, coastal defence, indirect fire and unmanned systems capabilities were developed, and the Estonian Division was established together with allies.
The minister thanked the United Kingdom for its support, recalling that after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, London decided to deploy a brigade to reinforce NATO forces in Estonia. In 2023, the two countries extended their defence cooperation agreement for another decade, and during his tenure the countries signed three bilateral roadmaps for deepening defence cooperation. He thanked Germany for its contribution to patrolling Estonia's airspace and air defence, as well as for participating in securing the Baltic Sea, specifically thanking the 1st German-Netherlands Corps for taking command responsibility for Estonia and Latvia and for its presence in Valga this summer.
Concluding both letters, Pevkur urged allies to keep supporting Ukraine, saying Europe must not tire or waver in backing Ukraine and must keep finding ways to help Ukrainians, even where risks are involved.
