- One of the Baltic nations on the border with Russia supports Trump’s call for members to spend 5% of GDP on defense.
- Estonia’s Foreign Minister told Bit his country would meet that objective, but not because of Trump.
- Estonia has been a pioneer in Ukraine support and asking other members to increase protection costs.
A NATO ally sharing a border with Russia is happy to see US President Donald Trump pushing alliance members to spend more on defense. The country’s foreign minister says this is an important need, taking into account Moscow’s threats.
Estonia, a member of the EU and one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters, will strengthen its own expenses, but not just to please Trump. Margus Tsahkna, the Estonian Foreign Minister, told Business Insider that his country would begin to spend 5% of his GDP on protection due to “true needs”.
Trump announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last month that he wants NATO allies to dramatically increase the costs of protection from the previous goal of 2% to 5% of their GDP. There have been reports that he would accept 3.5%, which is close to what the US spends now. However, some nations are still under the original expectations.
Estonia and Lithuania, both Baltic states, told Times financially after the event that they would increase costs.
Tsahkna told Bi that Estonia “has increased our protection costs over the years”. He added that Trump is “looking for the right thing” and that he has long agreed with the US president that more NATO members should spend more on protection.
Trump talking to the White House. Roberto Schmidt / AFP through Getty Images
Kę Stutis Budrys, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister, told the Financial Times last month that Trump was applying “good and constructive pressure from our strategic and greater NATO ally” but said Trump’s pressure was not the reason for only that his country was making changes.
“It’s not the only reason,” the minister said, explaining that “it is existential for us to have real skills to fight the war here.”
NATO nations near Russia tend to spend more on their protection. For example, Poland, the highest NATO protection speaker as a part of GDP, said last year, before Trump’s comments, that it would spend 5% of GDP on protection in 2025.
Estonia had not previously engaged this goal, but the head of the Estonian Defense Forces and its Minister of Defense both sailed the opportunity last year. Country protection costs have increased over the years. In 2024, she spent about 3.4% of her GDP on defense, slightly higher than the US has been a pioneer in searching for other allies to pay more, demanding that 2% guidance grow higher.
Some NATO allies, including Italy, Canada and Spain, spend less than 2%. This has long been a frequent source of criticism for Trump, who suggested in the footsteps of the campaign that he would abandon nations that did not pay their right to Russia.
The realities of the Russian threat
Many NATO allies have significantly increased their defense spending in recent years, but Russian aggression than Trump’s allies pressure seems to be the incentive factor, as experts and officials previously said BI.
Increasing Estonia’s expenses “all come from real needs,” Tsahkna said.
“We face them,” he told the Russians, adding that his country will not allow himself to be vulnerable. He said Estonia does not plan to give up “every meter of NATO territory” in Russia and should build stronger obstruction while also “ready to act from the first second”.
Estonia, along with neighbors Latvia and Lithuania, have long warned Russia threatened the West, even before Ukraine began its full -scale occupation in 2022. Until that point, Russia had already occupied George and neighboring Ukraine.
Women of Ukrainian soldiers who died since Russia began its full -scale occupation, are seen in Lychakiv cemeteries in Lviv, Ukraine. Photo Photo/Mykola Tys
Where tsahkna and Trump change is in Ukraine. Estonia is one of Ukraine’s biggest supporters, giving Ukraine more help as part of its GDP than any other country and protecting that partner countries give all the weapons and support they can.
Former President Joe Biden supported Ukraine, but was held again in securing some types of equipment. Trump, however, has signaled that he simply wants to end the war and has previously been critical of US support for Ukraine. Trump has also questioned US support for NATO.
But Tsahkna sees the push of Trump’s NATO spending as positive.
“The border states cannot only bear the burden,” he said, referring to his country and his neighbors. He said the expenses of many NATO members are not currently rooted in “reality”.
More work to do
Tsahkna said it is right to ask countries to spend as a percentage of their GDP, calling it a “honest figure”. The figure “Mat how much are your economy, society, your people paying,” he said. “It doesn’t matter you are a smaller or bigger place.”
Estonia has a population of only 1.4 million people – approximately 257 times smaller than the US and 60 times smaller than Germany. While spending proportionally on defense, the impact on NATO’s abilities is smaller. But this makes a big impact on its warnings on what NATO is facing Russia.
Spending money on protection, said Tsahkna, “It’s something we have to face.” Countries should not make excuses, he said, adding that everyone’s budget is narrow.
To meet its objectives, Estonia has reduced public spending and increased taxes. Last month, his parliament approved a new defense tax that will last until December 2028. He said people are willing to pay because they remember life under the Soviet Union.
“We still remember what it was like to live without freedom,” he said.
Russia has repeatedly threatened to attack the West, and many countries have warned that an attack may come. As it is, some already see the developing war. Russia has been accused of carrying out hybrid attacks as arson and murder attempts in Europe.
Tsahkna said he has noticed a “mentality change” in Europe in recent years. “They are taking the Russian threat very seriously and also realize that Russia will remain a threat in the future,” he said, but the continent must strengthen its industries and strengthen its protection.