German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has assured the Baltic states that they can rely on Berlin when it comes to deterring the Russian threat.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has assured the Baltic states that they can rely on Berlin when it comes to deterring the Russian threat.
“Germany is taking responsibility. And Germany is taking the lead,” Pistorius said today at the Annual Baltic Defense Conference in Tallinn. Other NATO countries and Ukraine also participate in the conference.
He also reiterated that Germany plans to deploy a Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania – approximately 4,000 soldiers and their families. The plan will be developed in more detail by the end of the year.
Pistorius also assured Ukraine that Germany was ready to give it long-term support in its fight against Russia and warned of the consequences of pursuing the goals of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. “Putin is using despicable, criminal and inhumane methods,” Pistorius said.
Meanwhile, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkurs called for a significant increase in military aid to Ukraine. He recalled that the international donor group, which meets regularly at the US military base in Ramstein, Germany, has so far provided Ukraine with aid equivalent to 0.2% of its gross domestic product.
Europe has by no means done everything possible to guarantee its security, Pevkurs admitted.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas previously urged other NATO countries to follow the example of the Baltic states and significantly increase their defense spending. She pointed out that Estonia plans to allocate 3.2% of the gross domestic product (GDP) to defense next year.
“Look at 1988, when all NATO countries spent more than 1% of their GDP on defense. And why? Because they thought the danger was serious. But now the danger is greater than during the Cold War, because war is back in Europe ,” emphasized Kallas.
She also made a strong call to support military service in her country, saying it was the basis for recruitment into the armed forces. Kallas pointed out that military service is not popular in other countries, but in Estonia it is not and more and more people, even whole school classes, are applying voluntarily.
The President pointed out that in the service it is possible to learn many things necessary in life, including self-defense and management skills. Estonia also offers an obvious but unusual incentive to serve in the army as full-time soldiers, namely a salary that is 30% higher than the average salary for an equivalent civilian job. However, this puts a significant burden on the defense budget.
