Western support for Ukraine remains a constant thorn in the side of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and provides a real opportunity for the Ukrainians to emerge victors in the current conflict, United Kingdom armed forces minister James Heappey said, while on an official visit to Estonia on Tuesday, August 23, as informed by Estonian broadcaster ERR.
Overconfidence on the part of Putin and his regime, twinned with Western assistance, have been key to the current conflict’s course, the minister noted. He rejected any claims that Britain and other western nations have been providing the Ukrainians with ineffective military supplies.
Talking to ETV news show «Aktuaalne kaamera» (AK) while visiting Tapa base Tuesday,August 23, UK armed forces minister said: «I’m not sure that the west has been giving Ukrainians the wrong kit. I think we have been giving them entirely the right kit, and what Putin has learned throughout this conflict is every time he and his armed forces have done something outrageous, the Western commitment to Ukraine hasn’t faltered, it’s doubled down, so every time the U.S. and the U.K. and our allies have chosen to give the Ukrainians more, it’s because his troops have done something despicable.»
This was also demonstrated by the Russian Federation’s offensive running into trouble early on in the conflict, thanks in part to western supplies of weapons to Ukraine’s forces, Heappey said.
The British contingent in Estonia, the lead nation in the NATO enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battlegroup, is tasked with being an active participant in Estonia’s defense plan, bringing combat readiness at short notice if threats should present themselves, Heappey noted.
Minister Heappey also met with Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) Tuesday, August 23, where the pair discussed the need to rapidly implement decisions made at the NATO Madrid Summit, held at the end of June.
Pevkur said that: «Decisions made at the NATO Madrid summit significantly strengthen the security of Estonia and NATO’s eastern wing, and the U.K., a major driving force in these decisions, has a big role here.»
«The bilateral defense cooperation between Estonia and the U.K. is excellent. We feel this support in ensuring our security throughout Estonian society,» Pevkur continued, according to a Defense Ministry’s press release.
Heappey also met with Defense Ministry’s Secretary General Kusti Salm while in Estonia.
Following the Madrid Summit, a divisional-sized NATO unit will be based in Estonia, with elements arriving on a rapid basis from the U.K. and elsewhere, where needed. The U.K. will provide a brigade-sized unit towards this division, alongside the Estonian Defense Forces’ (EDF) two infantry brigades.