Estonia, France have common vision of Europe’s future, assistance to Ukraine - Kallas
The press service of the Prime Minister of Estonia reported this on Saturday, according to Ukrinform.
"Together we can help Ukraine win the war and force Russia to retreat to its borders. We have the resources, the economic power and the knowledge. The power of the free world is greater than that of Russia, and we should not be afraid of our power," Kallas said.
The meeting also discussed Russia's hybrid war against the free world. "Russia's hybrid activity in relation to Europe is becoming more and more powerful. We need to seriously discuss these issues with our allies and partners and send a clear message to Russia that such behavior is unacceptable," the Estonian Prime Minister said.
It was also recorded a common vision that the most important strategic priority of Europe at the moment should be to increase the defense capability. "All allies should invest more in their defense. Estonia has been doing this for a long time. Our defense spending is now more than 3% of GDP. But France's defense spending will exceed 2% for the first time this year. We must continue this course," Kallas said.
In order to solve the existing tasks, it is necessary to make the European defense industry work. Kallas spoke about the creation of a EUR 50 million defense industry fund in Estonia and thanked President Macron for supporting the idea of Estonian defense bonds. "We also need solutions at the European level. The EU should allocate most of its 7-year budget to the defense sector. The current 0.86% is too little," the head of the Estonian Cabinet emphasized.
In Paris, Callas also had a meeting with Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, thanking France for defense cooperation, including for the fact that the French military deployed in in Estonia while French aircraft patrol the sky over the Baltic States.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, in March, Estonia, France, and Poland issued a joint statement calling for an "urgent" increase in Europe's defense capabilities. The document also outlines the priorities of the three countries for the new European defense and industrial strategy, including strengthening cooperation with Ukraine.
