Estonia: Threat from Russia will remain: PM Kallas

The threat from Russia is and will remain real, and all NATO allies must understand and take it “extremely seriously,” Estonia’s Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, stated, The Baltic Times reports. Speaking at the opening debate of a NATO conference in Vilnius, Kallas noted that all allies contributed 2% of GDP to defence in 1988 because they clearly perceived the threat from Russia. In 2023, only 11 NATO countries will spend at least 2% of GDP on defence, however, she lamented. Kallas hoped that the number would be “significantly higher” by the next NATO summit. Also, she called for investing much more in the European defence industry. “We need to produce faster and more,” Kallas insisted.