IT Coalition, rehabilitation and training of service members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: The Ministers of Defence of Ukraine and Estonia discussed further cooperation and assistance to Ukraine

Minister of Defence of Ukraine Rustem Umerov held a meeting with his counterpart - Estonian Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur who is visiting Ukraine.

The event was also attended by Kateryna Chernohorenko - Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine, responsible for digital development.

Rustem Umerov thanked Hanno Pevkur for the continued unwavering support of the Republic of Estonia for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, for large-scale material and technical aid during the full-scale russia's war against Ukraine.

"I thank the entire Estonian people for their constant and sincere support of Ukraine. We always feel your support on the diplomatic, political, and economic fronts. We highly appreciate everything Estonia is doing for us in this difficult time of the war," said Rustem Umerov.

The foreign delegation was informed about the current situation on the battlefield and about urgent defence needs of Ukraine. The parties also discussed in detail promising areas of military cooperation, in particular, the implementation of bilateral projects to strengthen the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In the focus of attention were following:

• IT Coalition that was launched during the meeting in Ramstein format of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group. This Coalition will support the Armed Forces of Ukraine in cyberspace and will focus on ensuring a secure and stable IT infrastructure for the Defence Forces of Ukraine;

• Professional training of Ukrainian military personnel by Estonian instructors, in particular, training of Ukrainian instructors under the Train the Trainers program;

• Medical treatment and rehabilitation of military service members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the territory of the Republic of Estonia;

• Assistance from Estonia in military medicine.

Regarding the latter, the Estonian delegation announced the handover of the of the mobile Role II Field Hospital to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which will save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers at the front. This is the fourth mobile hospital that the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI) has handed over in cooperation with other partner countries of Ukraine.

This time, Germany and Iceland also joined in financing the international project. Rustem Umerov received the symbolic key to the hospital from Hanno Pevkur and handed it over to the Commander of the Medical Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Major General of the Medical Service Tetiana Ostashchenko. On behalf of the Ukrainian people, the Minister of Defence expressed sincere gratitude for such an extremely necessary gift.

The Minister of Defence of Estonia expressed words of support for Ukraine and emphasised that his country will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our country until the victory.

"I know how hard time is for your country now. Russia has violated hundreds of international laws and regulations regarding Ukraine. I wish one day I will see, and I am sure I will see, how russia will be held accountable for all the crimes it has committed. I assure you once again that Estonia will be with Ukraine and will help as much as possible and as much as needed," Hanno Pevkur noted.

The delegation of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Estonia and representatives of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine honoured the fallen Ukrainian warriors and laid floral tribute at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen located on Mykhailivska Square.

Also, as part of the visit, the foreign guests visited the towns of Kyiv region destroyed by the russians.