The Minister of Defence and the Commander of the Defence Forces discussed strengthening NATO’s eastern flank with the Supreme Allied Commander Europe

Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur and Commander of the Defence Forces Lieutenant General Andrus Merilo met in Tallinn with the NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Alexus G. Grynkewich, to discuss strengthening the eastern flank of the alliance.

'The meeting with General Grynkewich confirmed that NATO is firmly committed to implementing existing decisions as well as further strengthening collective defence. Estonia hosts units from three major allied countries - the United Kingdom, France, and the United States. NATO has approved new defence plans and set the necessary capability targets for the allies to achieve them. Estonia takes national defence very seriously and will allocate over five per cent of its GDP to this area in the coming years. It is important that all NATO allies continue their efforts to strengthen collective defence,' said Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur.

'We also spoke to General Grynkewich about the violation of Polish and NATO airspace, which is unprecedented and unacceptable in this scope. Russia bears full responsibility. General Grynkewich confirmed that NATO responded decisively to the incident - for the first time, NATO fighter jets shot down drones that had entered its airspace. Any steps taken today and in the future will stem from close coordination with all allies,' added the Minister of Defence.

Other topics of discussion at the meeting included regional defence plans, threat assessment, and further support for Ukraine.

'I received renewed confirmation that NATO takes the defence of our region very seriously. The presence, plans, and preparations of the allied forces are directly focused on real readiness to defend member states against possible aggression,' said Lieutenant General Andrus Merilo, Commander of the Defence Forces. 'It is clear that NATO is learning from Russia's war against Ukraine and is actively working to ensure dominance over its adversaries on today's battlefield. Russia only understands force, and the best thing we can do right now is to strengthen ourselves.'

The Commander of the Defence Forces added that Estonia's decision to rapidly increase defence spending will give a strong boost to our independent defence capabilities in the coming years, which, combined with the increase in collective defence spending by our allies, will strengthen the alliance as a whole in the current unpredictable security environment.

General Grynkewich assumed the position of Supreme Allied Commander Europe on 4 July 2025.

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Photos from the meeting: Visit by General Alexus G. Grynkewich, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), 10 September 2025 / Visit to the Ministry of Defence, 10 September 2025 | Photo gallery of the Defence Forces