October 2, 2024

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said that the country’s government discussed the possibility of sending its military on non-combat missions to western Ukraine. 

He told Polskie Radio about this, “European Truth” reports.

He noted that currently the country has not made a concrete decision, because above all, Estonia must guarantee the safety of the instructors.

“If we had a large contingent, say a brigade-sized unit with equipment, it would be a very big target for the Russians,” the minister explained. 

The head of the Ministry of Defense of Estonia stressed that the decision to send troops to Ukraine should be made by consensus of NATO member states.

“All the details must be taken into account: force protection measures, as well as logistics. Therefore, we are currently continuing training in Poland and Great Britain. Let’s see how this topic will develop,” he said.

Pevkur concluded that the Allies are making every effort so that Ukraine can win the war.

We will remind, on October 2, it was reported that the former head of the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain, Ben Wallace, believes that the country should send troops to help train and support the Ukrainian army.

As is known, the discussion of the presence of NATO troops on Ukrainian territory was raised by French President Emmanuel Macron, who admitted in February that he had offered Western countries to send their troops to Ukraine.

Some states, in particular the Baltic states, have publicly supported this idea or expressed interest in it. But the vast majority, including the former Secretary General of the Alliance, rejected such a possibility.

In May, The New York Times reported that some NATO member states are privately discussing the possibility of sending military instructors or contractors to the territory of Ukraine to train the Ukrainian military and help repair equipment.

https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/news/2024/10/2/7195368