EU Countries Need to Double Their Defense Spending, Says Estonia's Foreign Minister

European countries need to double their defense spending due to the war in Ukraine. This was stated by Estonia's Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu, who added that his country plans to raise its national defense spending to 3% of GDP, Reuters reports.

Reinsalu visited Kyiv with several counterparts from different countries. “We would like European countries to double their defense spending during and after the Ukrainian war, and we are going to spend 3% of our GDP on national defense,” he said.

Reinsalu also noted that the EU should increase the level of funding allocated for military assistance to Ukraine. “The European Union has allocated about 0.2% of its GDP for military assistance to Ukraine in total, and I promised that if we can reach 1%, it will be of great significance and will change the course of the war,” he remarked.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal tweeted that Reinsalu's visit, along with six other ministers, includes discussions on tightening EU sanctions, restoring Ukraine's energy infrastructure, financial support, and Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations.