Estonia’s Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur on Monday said the U.S. has paused Estonia’s deliveries until the end of the war in Iran, at least. If the conflict lasts for a long time, Estonia may start to reconsider its previous decisions about weapons purchases, he added.
Last week, Reuters news agency reported the U.S. had paused weapons deliveries to some allies as it continues its war in Iran. On Sunday, ERR said that Estonia’s HIMARs’ ammunition was the most affected by the decision.
On Monday, Pevkur has a conversation with U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to discuss the situation.
“We were already aware that the U.S. had put all outgoing ammunition shipments on hold. Rather, our question and discussion with Pete Hegseth concerned what the future prospects might be for resuming ammunition deliveries, and if those deliveries were to remain suspended for a very long time, then what alternative options there might be for increasing defense capabilities with production from the United States,” he said, following the call.
Pevkur said the main issues for Estonia are related to HIMARS ammunition and Javelins. He said there are “no problems” with anti-tank ammunition as the country has “sufficient quantities.”
“In the case of HIMARS, it rather depends on how long the deliveries remain on hold. That will also determine what our further decisions will be,” the minister said.
Pevkur would not say how much money Estonia has spent on procuring weapons or when exactly they had been scheduled to arrive. In general terms, he said the value of those on hold and expected to arrive this year and next is in the “tens of millions of euros.”
“We have long-term contracts, and under those long-term contracts, these ammunition deliveries will take place. Each type of ammunition has a different delivery time,” he said.
Months of delays, not weeks
It is not known when the deliveries will start again, but Pevkur said this pause would “certainly last longer than weeks, more likely months.”
“The initial understanding is that this is on hold for as long as the war in Iran continues. But if it were to last even longer, then we would certainly have to review our decisions. But the current understanding is that once the conflict in Iran is over, ammunition deliveries should also resume,” the defense minister said.
Asked by ERR what the plan is if the conflict continues, Pevkur said it depends on how long the war in Iran lasts. He said “no major additional measures” if it ends sooner rather than later.
However, alternatives have already been discussed.
“We are already looking around the world and working on possible alternatives. Today we [Pevkur and Hegseth] also discussed various alternative options for increasing defense capabilities with regard to U.S. equipment. We will make those decisions once there is a more or less clear picture of what will happen with the conflict in Iran,” he said.
Estonian support for the US
Pevkur said the pair also discussed how Estonia can support the U.S. in its war against Iran.
Estonian ministers have previously said the country would assist if an official request was made by Washington, which it has not yet done.
Asked if it was certain that Estonia would help the U.S. in the Middle East, the minister said: “No, nothing is certain in that regard and nothing specific has been decided about whether and how we could provide support, for example, in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.”
He said the matter is “at the military level” and is being discussed bilaterally.
“We agreed on how to proceed further at the military level, and when those decisions are mature, or when those proposals for decisions are mature, then they can be discussed further. But at the moment, there is nothing more specific to discuss,” Pevkur said.
“Naturally, if it requires broader discussion or if it requires a decision by the government or parliament, then those decisions will also be made. At the moment, I cannot tell you a timeframe.”
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