Ukraine's allies should spend more than Russia to win the war – Estonian prime minister
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that allies can help Ukraine defeat Russian troops by allocating part of its economic production to military needs.
Source: European Pravda; Bloomberg.
According to Kaja Kallas, each member of the Contact Group on the defence of Ukraine (Ramstein format) should annually send Kyiv the equivalent of 0.25% of its gross domestic product, which would raise at least €120 billion and turn the tide of the war in favour of Ukraine.
"Nobody wants to give a check when you don’t know what it’s going to cost. If we concentrate our efforts now, then the breaking point for Russia could not be very far. It also depends on the war fatigue on Russia’s side because they see their people coming back in coffins," Kallas said.
The Estonian Defence Ministry estimates that the war costs Russia at least €10.2 billion in military spending per month, compared to the €5.3 billion that members of the Ramstein group spend on average.
"Their economy is in a bad state and their budget is in a bad state. They can’t raise outside capital because the Chinese are not lending them. And there are sanctions," Kallas said.
The Estonian prime minister warned that failure to defeat Moscow on the battlefield would leave Russia with more territory and encourage Putin to launch new military campaigns that could lead to direct conflict with NATO in the future.
"I think because this war seems very far away and, and some leaders might still think that you don’t have to spend that on defence because the threat is not that real. We as Europe have to do more," Kallas concluded.
Background:
- Previously, Estonia prepared a three-year strategy plan for Western countries to help Ukraine win the war.
- Estonia has promised to allocate for 0.25% of GDP over four years to Ukraine.
- In general, Tallinn will assist Ukraine in the amount of €1.2 billion by 2027.
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