“There is a risk that the burden of defense costs will still fall on the same countries in the East,” said Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna. He emphasized that “the EU’s €800 billion plan for defense investments should be evenly distributed among all member states.”
€800 Billion for Defense
During the EU leaders’ summit scheduled for Thursday, a proposal to allocate up to €800 billion for defense will be discussed. This comes amid growing concerns about the United States’ continued military support for Ukraine.
“Yes, Estonia is doing its part (spending significantly on defense relative to its GDP), but Europe must share the burden of defense collectively,” Tsahkna said on Vikerraadio. He stressed that frontline countries defending NATO and Europe ultimately bear the highest costs. “We are facing the same problem with Europe that the U.S. has,” he admitted.
Currently, Estonia allocates around 3.5% of its GDP to defense, and the goal of Prime Minister Kristen Michal’s government, announced at the beginning of 2025, is to reach 5%.
“I don’t see any Southern European country reaching 5%. I hope they will start adjusting to the 3% threshold,” he said, referring to the fact that in countries like Spain, Putin’s aggression raises relatively “little concern.” He also announced that at the NATO summit in The Hague in June, Estonia will push for a 3.5% threshold for all member states.
The Need for EU Mechanisms
According to Tsahkna, it is also crucial for the EU to be able to use mechanisms when an individual member state (such as Hungary) opposes joint defense initiatives, just as it can block initiatives related to military aid for Ukraine.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the plan to raise nearly €800 billion for defense on Tuesday, in response to concerns about continued U.S. military support for Ukraine and America’s commitment to Europe’s defense. The package will be discussed on Thursday at an extraordinary European Council summit in Brussels.
According to Tsahkna, U.S. President Donald Trump is harshly reminding Europe that it must invest in its own defense. “Trump is very clear on this: if you don’t contribute, we won’t either. That is also a fairly fair approach,” the Estonian minister concluded.