Estonia is seriously considering the possibility of sending its troops to Ukraine for “rear-area” tasks, said Madis Roll, Tallinn’s national security advisor to the president, in an interview with Breaking Defense.
“Discussions are ongoing. We should be looking at all the possibilities. We shouldn’t have our minds restricted as to what we can do,” Roll said. With rear-area assistance, Estonian troops will be able to reduce the burden, allowing Ukrainian defenders to preserve their strength for fighting on the front lines. Currently, the executive branch of Estonia is analyzing the potential step.
The national security advisor added that Estonia would prefer to take any such step as part of a full NATO mission “to show broader combined strength and determination.” Rollo suggests that NATO countries opposing such a move may change their minds “as time goes on.”
Public discussion of the possibility of European countries’ participation in the war between Russia and Ukraine began after a statement by French President Emmanuel Macron in February. Although most EU countries have publicly rejected such an idea, the discussion continues.
Some leading US military and scholars wrote in a column for the American publication Foreign Affairs that European leaders should seriously consider the possibility of deploying troops in Ukraine to provide logistical support, training, protection of Ukrainian borders and critical infrastructure, or even to defend Ukrainian cities.
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