Estonian Defense Minister calls for clear goals in Western support for Ukraine
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur has voiced concerns that the lack of a clear political objective regarding Western support for Ukraine is a fundamental issue. Pevkur made these comments during the GLOBSEC conference in Prague, as reported by Evropeyska Pravda.
Addressing debates on Western "strategic ambiguity" towards aiding Ukraine, Pevkur noted that while Western partners pledge to give Ukraine "the help it needs" for "as long as necessary," they intentionally avoid specifying their end goals to prevent constraining the war's outcome.
Pevkur argued that this ambiguity results in the West failing to provide Ukraine with what it truly requires. "The key question we, as politicians, must answer for ourselves is whether we want Ukraine to fight or for Ukraine to win. We lack a political decision on seeking Ukraine's victory. With that decision, the subsequent steps become clear," he elaborated.
The Estonian Defense Minister asserted that once the West defines Ukraine's victory as the goal, a winning strategy could be devised. He pointed out that Estonia has officially committed to Ukraine's victory and has already taken the necessary steps.
"The strategy we propose, for instance, calls for spending 0.25% of GDP on aid to Ukraine," Pevkur stated, expressing confidence that this would suffice for supplying Ukraine with necessary weaponry.
"The problem isn't an alleged lack of strategy in Ukraine: Ukraine knows what it needs to do. The issue lies in a shortage of funds and weapons. Also, there are idiotic restrictions that I don't understand," he added.