Estonia has been accused of sending old military equipment to Ukraine and modernizing its army at the expense of its EU allies.
The Politico publication, citing documents, writes that six EU countries, including Estonia, allegedly estimated the value of the aid sent to Ukraine based on the price of new equipment purchased to restore defense capabilities. At the same time, the actual cost of the sent weapons was lower, as they were old pieces of equipment.
The price was based on the price of the new equipment purchased, not on the actual cost of the weapons sent.
The Estonian Ministry of Defense responded to these accusations: "Estonia adheres to the rules of the European Peace Fund regarding the assessment of military support for Ukraine," the ministry said in a statement, according to Polish Radio.
"Russian aggression remains the greatest threat to the Euro-Atlantic security system. All this time, Estonia has been distinguished by a realistic vision of the threat from the east, so it has done everything to help Ukraine," the country's Defense Ministry emphasized.
"The most important thing now – when the war is still ongoing – is to focus on helping and stay united. Ukraine needs all the help it can get to restore its territorial integrity and drive Russia out of the country," the Estonian Defense Ministry said.
Background. As a reminder, in mid-March, the Estonian government agreed on a new package of military aid to Ukraine worth almost 500,000 euros.