Estonia is “seriously” considering deploying troops to Ukraine to take on non-direct combat roles, according to Tallinn’s national security advisor Madis Roll.
The move would aim to free up more Ukrainian soldiers so they can support combat operations on the front.
“Discussions are ongoing,” Roll told Breaking Defense. “We should be looking at all the possibilities. We shouldn’t have our minds restricted as to what we can do.”
Roll said Estonia prefers making the move as part of a NATO-wide mission, but this is unlikely for now as the alliance refuses to be directly involved in the war.
Because of that, the government official has not ruled out the possibility of Tallinn acting in a smaller coalition to avoid war escalation.
If finalized, the Estonian troops would be sent to western Ukraine to provide medical services and logistics support.
NATO Troops in Ukraine?
The idea of sending NATO troops to Ukraine was first floated by French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this year as Russia was reportedly gaining the upper hand.
He said no option can be excluded to ensure that Moscow will not win this war.
“Many people who say ‘never, ever’ today were the same people who said ‘never tanks, never planes, never long-range missiles’ two years ago,” Macron stated. “Let us have the humility to note that we have often been six to twelve months late.”
The US and the UK have both ruled out the possibility of directly involving their militaries in the conflict.
But Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair showed some interest in the idea, saying the country could send troops to the war-ravaged nation but for “non-combat roles” only.