Michal: NATO summit decisions in Ankara strengthen allies and make Estonia safer

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform Party) said that the decisions of the NATO summit in Ankara meet Tallinn's expectations and strengthen the alliance's collective defense. Allies confirmed progress towards the goal of increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP and continuing support for Ukraine, the prime minister emphasized.

According to Michal, the main outcome of the meeting was the confirmation of NATO's unity and the readiness of member states to take greater responsibility for their own security in the face of a long-term threat from Russia. "Europe is taking greater responsibility for its security, and given the long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security, we must move quickly towards the 5% defense spending target," the prime minister said.

He noted that Estonia is among the top three NATO countries in terms of defense spending and plans to allocate 26 billion euros to defense over the next ten years, half of which will be invested in armaments and military capabilities.

Michal also emphasized the importance of developing the defense industry. According to him, the increase in defense spending must be accompanied by an expansion of production capacity so that investments are more quickly converted into actual military resources.

At the summit, Estonia signed an agreement with Ukraine on cooperation in unmanned technologies. According to Michal, this will allow the use of experience and developments tested in war to strengthen Estonia's defense capabilities, including in air defense.

In addition, Estonia joined a 12-country initiative to develop long-range capabilities, under which about 44 billion euros are planned to be invested over ten years.

During the meeting, allies also updated NATO's air and missile defense plan. Michal noted that this will allow for more effective protection of the alliance's airspace, including Estonia.

Furthermore, NATO countries confirmed their intention to continue supporting Ukraine, allocating 70 billion euros for this and the next year.