Estonia Wants to Buy Drones – Ukraine’s Purchase May Be Considered

News outlet ERR, part of Estonia’s Public Broadcasting, reported during a discussion between them on October 26: Estonia’s Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur and Commander of the Defense Forces, Major General Andrus Merilo, exchanged views on the necessity of purchasing missiles and missiles. dronesThe possibility of including Ukrainian producers in any future tender process has been raised.

According to ERR, part of Estonian Public Broadcasting, the two discussed the purchase of long-range missiles such as Neptune from Ukraine. But they ruled out the idea because they felt it was significantly inferior to those produced by other Western manufacturers.

But the heads of Tallinn’s defense establishment concluded that the range and quality of the drones, which Kiev developed out of necessity during its war with Russia, made them worth considering.

Pevkur said: “The quality of drones in Ukraine is very good. A wide variety of models are produced there… If we open a tender, it will be open to Ukrainian companies as well as Estonian and Western companies to submit offers.”

He said he would meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem. UmerovThe possibility of purchasing weapons from Ukraine later this month will also be among the topics discussed.

In September, Pevkur said Estonia had spent more than 750 million euros ($814 million) on ammunition purchases in the past two years, more than it had spent in the previous 30 years. He said the country plans to allocate another 3 billion euros ($3.26 billion) for defense spending between now and 2028.

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Pevkur said that the Estonian government is considering purchasing suitable weapons from the Ukrainian defense industry. He said this would offer a cost-effective solution for defense forces, given that some Ukrainian weapons cost a fifth of their Western counterparts while offering comparable levels of performance. This will help the Ukrainian defense industry’s efforts to increase production.

When asked about Ukraine’s current ban on arms exports due to martial law regulations, Pevkur said that he thought the ban would not be an obstacle if both countries reached an agreement and such cooperation would be mutually beneficial.

“We have already discussed this issue (with Ukraine). Pevkur added that if there are companies in Ukraine that can offer what we need, then he (Umerov) does not see any political limitations in this.

“Of course we can do this if we get the approval of the Ukrainian government. Here we need to understand that this can only be done in a way that will bring more money to Ukraine if we buy it. And they will be able to produce more for their military.”

The amount and nature of Estonia’s next military aid package to Ukraine will be on the agenda of the cabinet meeting to be held in the next few weeks, ERR said.