Estonia is situated on the eastern NATO flank, in close proximity to Russia. In this Baltic country, there is significant concern about Moscow, and Europe is accused of not taking the threat seriously, as reported by the German news platform merkur.de.
Estonia’s Defense Minister, Hanno Pevkur, has issued a warning, particularly to Germany: “I’m sorry to have to say this. But if our Baltic states fall, Berlin is next.”
The 46-year-old insists that the right lessons must be learned from the war in Ukraine. A significant portion of Estonia’s defense budget is now intended to be spent on equipment. By 2032, Estonia plans to acquire, among other things, Himars rocket launchers, howitzers, armored vehicles, and drones, as well as a large quantity of ammunition.
To finance the higher military costs, the government has introduced, among other measures, its own car tax. Income and value-added taxes have been increased. “Of course, I would rather spend the money on other things,” says Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. “But in our situation, it is the most sensible thing we can do.”
Image: Kremlin.ru, Vladimir Putin (2022-09-21), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Image size changed)
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