Estonia Hopes To Get $400Mln From EU To Offset Aid Expenses For Ukraine - Defense Ministry

Estonia hopes to receive 400 million euros ($435 million) from the European Peace Facility to offset the military assistance the country has provided to Ukraine, a senior official from the Estonian Center for Defense Investment (ECDI) at the Estonian Defense Ministry said on Monday

HELSINKI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd January, 2023) Estonia hopes to receive 400 million Euros ($435 million) from the European Peace Facility to offset the military assistance the country has provided to Ukraine, a senior official from the Estonian Center for Defense Investment (ECDI) at the Estonian Defense Ministry said on Monday.

The EU has already decided to allocate some 156 million euros to Estonia, according to Katri Raudsepp, a senior official at the ECDI.

"This money will be returned within next few years as there are certain schedules of compensation payments to EU member states. In addition to this sum (156 million euros), there will be other payment requests that are yet to be approved. Overall, Estonia hopes to return some 400 million euros," Rausdepp told Estonian broadcaster ERR.

According to the official, the money could be spent on restoring Estonian defense capabilities.

Last week, the Estonian government approved the proposal made by the country's defense minister, Hanno Pevkur, to provide another package of military support to Ukraine worth around 113 million euros, which will include howitzers, munitions, grenade launchers and other weapons and equipment.

Western countries ramped up their military support for Ukraine after Russia launched a special military operation there on February 24, 2022, responding to calls for help from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. In April, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Kiev. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would be "legitimate targets" for Russian forces.