The current conflict in Ukraine shows what could have happened to Estonia if it had not joined NATO 20 years ago, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on Friday, as quoted by DPA and Agerpres.

“It cannot be ruled out that without joining NATO, our independence would be under threat. If Estonia had remained in the so-called gray zone, what we are currently seeing in Ukraine could have happened on our territory,” Tsakhna said on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of his country’s entry into the North Atlantic Alliance.

In addition to Estonia, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia joined NATO on March 29, 2004.

“Because then we made the necessary decisions, now we live in a safe and free Estonia”, – emphasized, for her part, the head of the executive power of Estonia, Kaia Kallas. Kallas explained that Estonia shares a border with Russia in the east and has felt threatened by Russian forces since the invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago, which Russia is pursuing.

Ten days ago, Kaia Kallas asked other NATO countries to increase their defense spending to at least 3% of gross domestic product.

“Estonia already invests more than 3% of GDP in defense and all NATO allies should follow” her example, she said at a media event organized in Berlin.

After the war in Ukraine, NATO reached 32 members

NATO’s current defense spending target requires member states to invest at least 2% of their GDP over the long term, and was agreed last summer in the context of the perceived threat from Russia.

Previously, the North Atlantic Alliance asked its member states to bring their defense budget closer to 2% of GDP by 2024.

Sweden became NATO’s 32nd member on March 7, after Finland joined the alliance last April.

Both Scandinavian countries decided to abandon their historic neutrality and seek NATO membership shortly after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but their approval to join the alliance was delayed by Hungary and Turkey.

“After more than 200 years of non-alignment, Sweden now enjoys the protection granted under Article 5, which is the highest guarantee of the freedom and security of allies,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said after Sweden’s accession.

The Scandinavian country was last involved in a military conflict during the Napoleonic Wars in the 19th century.

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