In his view, NATO allies would then be open at least to discussing the request, like Estonia. “But that doesn’t mean that we are jumping into the unclarity or jumping into something we don’t know what it is,” he clarified.
The defense minister strongly disputed Trump’s characterization of NATO allies as abandoning the United States in its hour of need, citing Estonia’s involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq since the turn of the century.
“Proportionally, the amount we lost in these conflicts is equal to [that suffered by the] U.S., so we’ve sacrificed as a nation, as an army, we sacrificed our people for the common goal, to have peace in the world,” he said.
Division within NATO, Pevkur warned, only benefits Moscow.
“I believe that for all the allies, at this very moment, it is important to build bridges, not to destroy the bridges. Because this is exactly what Putin wants to see, that the West is divided,” he said.
In an interview with The Telegraph published on Wednesday, Trump said he was considering withdrawing from NATO, describing the alliance as “a paper tiger” and adding that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin “knows that.”