Oleksii Reznikov made the statement in a tweet on Tuesday, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s polskieradio24.pl website reported.
Earlier in the day, the Politico news service published an article in which unnamed European Union diplomats accused Estonia of dispatching “old kit” to Ukraine and “using EU funds to significantly upgrade its military.”
Ukraine’s Reznikov responded by saying: “The Estonian example of investing in Europe's security is inspiring. Estonia's military assistance to Ukraine has already surpassed 1% of the country's GDP.”
The allegations contained in the Politico article centred around the use of the EU’s European Peace Facility (EPF), a joint fund set up to partially reimburse the bloc’s member states for providing military aid to Ukraine, according to polskieradio24.pl.
EU countries contribute to the EPF based on the size of their economies, Politico reported.
Citing classified EU data, it said that six countries, including Estonia, have calculated their refund claims for the first tranche of the EPF based on the price of new weapons rather than on the actual value of the arms sent to Ukraine, polskieradio24.pl reported.
Other EU states allege that “Estonia has been particularly skilled at getting very high reimbursements for old gear,” according to the Politico article.
One EU diplomat told the news service on condition of anonymity: “They are sending their scraps to Ukraine and buying brand new material for themselves, financed with EU money.”
Military aid from Estonia ‘helps defend Ukraine and all of Europe’: Reznikov
Estonia’s defence ministry rejected Politico’s claims as "malicious slander," while military experts pointed out substantive mistakes in the article, according to polskieradio24.pl.
Meanwhile, Peter Stano, lead spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy for the EU’s executive Commission, said on Tuesday that “so far we have no information that there has been any misuse" of EPF funds.
Estonia’s Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur commented on Twitter: “Dear Politico - read the message of Oleksii Reznikov and remember - Estonia was the first country to help Ukraine in a war against Russian aggressors and war criminals.”
He added: “Even the spin-doctors who spread disinformation have no power to stop this support.”
In his tweet, Ukraine’s Reznikov wrote: “Everything we receive from our Estonian friends, from javelins to howitzers, helps the Ukrainian army defend Ukraine and all of Europe.”
Wednesday is day 399 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: polskieradio24.pl, Politico, err.ee