The Baltic state – which is also a member of the European Union and NATO – is prepared to send a ground force equivalent to a company, as well as trainers and staff officers.
Photo by Thibault Camus / POOL / AFP
Estonia is prepared to take part in a possible European peacekeeping mission in Ukraine – announced Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal on Wednesday. The Baltic state – which is also a member of the European Union and NATO – is prepared to send a ground force equivalent to a company, as well as trainers and staff officers – according to a statement from the Tallinn chancellery.
“Ukraine’s security means Europe’s security,” Michal stated, adding that an independent, sovereign Ukraine belonging to the European community could be the most effective strategic guarantee against Moscow’s imperialism. “Now we must show that we are capable of turning good ideas into action,” the prime minister pointed out.
A so-called “coalition of the willing” is forming under the leadership of the United Kingdom and France, which would be prepared to send troops to Ukraine following a possible peace agreement. Estonian troops could only participate in the mission with parliamentary approval.
The details of the mission are not yet clear. According to British press reports, London and Paris would limit their participation primarily to training, providing military equipment and air surveillance rather than sending actual combat units. The coalition supports Ukraine’s pursuit of a just peace. Despite gaining increasing momentum in recent months, the United States has so far not committed to providing security guarantees. The Moscow leadership opposes the formation of the coalition.
Gábor Szűcs is currently an analyst at the 21st Century Institute and a political commentator for Megafon.
