Russia's NATO Neighbor in Talks Over Anti-Aircraft Weapons
- Estonian defense minister says weapons wouldn’t add ‘drama’
- Luik sees U.S. commitments unaffected by Trump-Putin meeting
This article is for subscribers only.
Estonia, a NATO member that shares a border with Russia, wants to enhance its defensive capabilities with anti-aircraft weapons and is discussing a more permanent deployment with other countries inside the military alliance.
While air-defense systems have been stationed in the Baltic nation temporarily during military exercises, the government is holding “working-level” talks for a longer-term presence since it can’t afford to purchase them itself, according to Defense Minister Juri Luik. Estonia is also expecting more NATO troops to arrive as Russia and Belarus hold drills in September that have in the past simulated an attack on the Baltic region, he said.