Estonia's defence chief: NATO-EU ties like long marriage

Estonia’s defence minister has said he has “no doubt” that the United States would come to its defence in the event of a Russian attack, while warning that Europe is not yet capable of deterring Moscow on its own.

Hanno Pevkur made the remarks in an interview with Reuters during a visit to Vilnius, as debate intensifies within the alliance over US commitment and European defence spending.

“Yes I trust the U.S. and yes I trust all our allies,” he said.

“I don't believe that NATO will collapse.”

He compared current tensions within the alliance to “a long marriage”, adding: “There are no 50 years of purely smooth sailing. You have differences and problems, and you need to work through them.”

Estonian intelligence warned in February that Russia is already stockpiling ammunition for future conflicts after the war in Ukraine ends. Moscow has dismissed such claims as unfounded.

Pevkur said Europe remained unprepared to act independently in military terms.

“Are we there where we want to be? No”, he said. “All of us (in NATO) need to invest more into defence”.

He noted that most allies were not meeting last year’s pledge to significantly increase defence spending, including targets of up to 5% of GDP advocated by US President Donald Trump. Estonia is expected to spend 5.1% of GDP this year, among the highest in NATO.

Commenting on broader geopolitical tensions, Pevkur said NATO should prioritise efforts to end the conflict involving Iran, arguing it could help free up US attention for Ukraine.

“Once it's resolved, there is a chance to bring more U.S. focus towards Ukraine,” he said. “For our region, that remains the main problem.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev