According to the Prime Minister, the upcoming Hague Summit is very important for Estonia. “The previous NATO-recommended level of defence spending has been two percent, and in the future, it could reach five percent,” Michal said.
“We are interested in putting positive pressure on others with Estonia as a role model. If our Allies in NATO increase their defence spending and investments, it means more security for us as well,” explained the Prime Minister. “I recall that last year, Estonia's defence spending per capita was among the top three NATO countries – Poland was first, Estonia second and the United States third. We likely remain at the top of the list also in the future,” he added.
According to Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur, it is important that all Allies commit to increasing their defence spending in order to finance NATO defence plans and capability targets that have already been agreed upon.
“Starting next year, Estonia will invest 5.4% of its national wealth in defence. However, it must also be ensured that the additional funds allocated to defence are directed to the right areas - above all, to real capabilities and assets,” said Minister of Defence Pevkur. "We are definitely investing more than half of Estonia's defence budget in capabilities," he confirmed.
Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said ahead of the meeting that increasing defence spending will also serve as a significant deterrent to Russia, which poses the most serious and long-term threat to the entire Alliance.
“With a full-scale war in Europe, acts of sabotage on the territory of NATO Allies, disinformation campaigns, and the development of continuous military capabilities, Russia demonstrates that there is a clear threat to the security of the entire Alliance in the long term,” Tsahkna explained. “To successfully counter this threat, the Allies must make bold decisions to strengthen their deterrence and defence posture,” the Foreign Minister emphasised.
June 24
The Prime Minister and his partner will attend a dinner hosted by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands for the Heads of State and Government of NATO and their partners.
The Minister of Defence will participate in the session “Adapting an Alliance: Bolstering Whole-of-Society Resilience for 21st Century Challenges” organised by the Atlantic Council.
The Minister of Defence will participate in the NATO Defence Industry Forum.
The Minister of Defence will sign the NATO Innovation Fields Intentions Agreement.
The Minister of Defence will attend an evening reception organised by the Munich Security Conference.
Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna will speak at the NATO Public Forum discussion on Making our Societies more Robust, Ready and Resilient.
The Foreign Minister will participate in the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, which will also be attended by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Minister of Defence will attend an evening reception organised by the Munich Security Conference.
25 Jun
The Prime Minister will meet with the new Prime Minister of Canada, Mr Mark Carney.
The Prime Minister will meet with the President of North Macedonia, Ms Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova.
The Prime Minister will meet with New Zealand Prime Minister Mr Christopher Luxon.
The Minister of Defence will meet with the Polish Minister of Defence, Mr Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
The Minister of Defence will participate in a meeting of the defence ministers of the three Baltic States.
The Foreign Minister will have a bilateral meeting with the Albanian Foreign Minister.
The Prime Minister, the Minister of Defence and the Minister of Foreign Affairs participate in the working session of the North Atlantic Council.
