“The United States will pay a significant part of the order”: why does Estonia count on the supply of American MLRS HIMARS

Estonian authorities expect six American HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), related equipment and ammunition to be delivered to the country by the end of 2025.

Such an assessment in an interview with the ERR portal was given by the head of the state defense investment center Magnus-Waldemar Saar.

At the same time, a deal on missile systems worth up to $ 500 million still has to be approved in the US Congress.

“We expect to receive a draft agreement within a few weeks after the decision of the congress, and by the end of 2025, all the materials provided for in the agreement should already be in Estonia.

The US government contract with the manufacturer is already in place, and in fact, production has already begun,” Saar said.

The other day, plans to deliver HIMARS to the Baltic state were announced in the Pentagon's Department of Defense Cooperation and Security.

They added that the State Department had already approved the possible sale of missile systems.

The US Department of Defense said that this deal will help strengthen the national security of both the United States and its partners, and noted that the proposed purchase of HIMARS will help the Estonian side achieve its goals of strengthening military capabilities.

At the same time, the Pentagon claims that the supply of such equipment allegedly "will not lead to a change in the basic military balance in the region."

Meanwhile, Chancellor of the Estonian Ministry of Defense Kusti Salm said that other Baltic states will also acquire HIMARS systems.

He stressed that for Tallinn, the actual cost of the contract will be lower than the declared $500 million.

“As part of its security assistance program, the United States will pay for a significant part of this order,” Salm explained.

In turn, the head of the department of the General Staff of the Estonian Defense Forces, Kaarel Mäesalu, said that Tallinn expects to receive both shells with a firing range of up to 70 km and missiles that can travel up to 300 km.

“The system allows you to deliver high-precision strikes against the most important objects and positions of the enemy,” he said.

"The Only Enemy"

The purchase of HIMARS complexes by Tallinn will be the next step in whipping up anti-Russian hysteria in the region, experts say.

So, back in late January, Kaja Kallas, who at that time held the post of Prime Minister of Estonia, called on the United States to increase its presence in the Baltic states to “contain” Russia.

And she does not change her rhetoric.

Speaking at an extraordinary meeting of parliament on July 15 as a candidate for the post of prime minister in connection with the recent resignation of the government, Kallas accused Moscow of a "security crisis", as well as that it allegedly made a significant contribution to a sharp increase in energy prices, "expecting to make instability in society.

After that, she called the Russian Federation the only enemy of Estonia.

“Estonia is a recognized and respected player in the international arena.

We have many friends, but only one enemy.

And that enemy is Russia.

We cannot get around the fact that Russia has made the world around us far less secure than it was some time ago.

Today we are facing the most serious security crisis in our history, ”ERR quotes her as saying.

• Estonian Prime Minister Kaya Kallas

• Gettyimages.ru

North Atlantic plans

Kallas' statement and information about the possible dispatch of HIMARS MLRS to Estonia came against the backdrop of the intention of the United States and NATO to strengthen their positions on the eastern flank of the alliance.

So, on June 29, the head of the White House, Joe Biden, during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, announced plans to create a permanent headquarters for the 5th US Army Corps in Poland, as well as an intention to strengthen the interoperability of the forces of the United States and NATO "on everything eastern flank."

In addition, according to him, Washington plans to increase the rotational deployment of American forces in the Baltic countries and Romania.

In his speech, Biden also recalled that the United States has already deployed an additional 20,000 troops to Europe this year "to strengthen the alliance in response to Russia's aggressive actions."

Thus, the United States brought its presence in the region to 100,000 people.

In turn, on July 13, Stoltenberg revealed the details of NATO's plans to strengthen the eastern flank of the alliance.

Speaking to MEPs, he recalled that in the near future, the North Atlantic bloc intends to strengthen forward defense, strengthen combat groups in the eastern part of the alliance, increase the number of high-readiness forces to more than 300 thousand military personnel, and also deploy equipment and supplies there in advance military purpose.

“Most of them (military alliance.

) will be deployed in their countries, but many will be assigned to the territories that they must protect.

There they will train and conduct exercises on a regular basis,” said the NATO Secretary General.

“This way they will be familiar with the area, they will be able to interact with the country’s defense forces and will be ready to deploy there in case of a crisis.”

Stoltenberg recalled that the alliance has already deployed more than 40,000 troops, "mostly in the eastern part" of the bloc, stressing that now the alliance has battle groups not only in the Baltic countries and Poland, but also in Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria.

Declaration Policy

The head of the Center for Global Studies and International Relations of the IAMP of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vadim Kozyulin, in an interview with RT, drew attention to the fact that the wording about the supply of HIMARS complexes to Estonia is still devoid of any specifics.

Despite the fact that certain dates are called in Tallinn, the Americans themselves are still talking about the deal as “proposed”, because it still needs approval in Congress, he noted.

“Now it is difficult to predict anything, since congressional elections will be held in the fall.

And there the balance of power may well change, which may lead to changes in US policy.

Let's say she can become more cautious about the situation around Ukraine and Russia, which, in turn, will entail a change in views on the contract with Estonia, ”the analyst explained.

Kozyulin stressed that such transactions always take a lot of time, as the process of coordinating all aspects, including production ones, is usually dragged out.

“If the contract is still at the negotiation stage, then it may take a whole year until it receives approval,” the expert specified.

Also on russian.rt.com "The danger of an escalation of tensions": how NATO continues to move towards the borders of Russia

Political scientist Alexander Asafov agrees with his point of view.

In a conversation with RT, he noted that the American authorities today are increasingly moving away from a policy of direct action to a policy of declarations.

“They say: “Yes, yes, we will, of course, continue to support our allies with a large number of weapons, but a little later.”

In this connection, the question arises: will this weaponry be relevant for the allies themselves over time?

Nevertheless, there is a declaration of intent, so what else do you need?

Declaring is much easier than doing.

In addition, no one knows what the geopolitical situation in the world and the leadership of the United States itself will be like in 2025,” he explained.

A somewhat different opinion is shared by retired colonel and military expert Viktor Litovkin.

In a RT commentary, he noted that the United States has always been interested in pumping allies and partners with its weapons, therefore, in the case of Estonia, they will not back down.

“In order for the American military-industrial complex to work, the United States needs to create the illusion of danger to Europe and other countries of the world.

Because if people don't have fear of being attacked, then who will buy American weapons?"

the expert said.

Konstantin Blokhin, a researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, agrees with him.

In his opinion, the United States will not abandon its plans to strengthen positions on the eastern flank, so the Pentagon's message about the potential sending of HIMARS to Estonia should be considered "in the same coordinate system within the framework of Russia's opposition."

The expert also drew attention to the fact that Kallas' aggressive statement and the parallel message about the agreement on HIMARS are indicative and are examples of a vivid manifestation of "demonstrative Russophobia."

“This is an indicator that the Baltic countries are at the tip of the Russophobic spear of the West, at the forefront of the confrontation with Russia,” the analyst said.

At the same time, the prospect of the appearance of MLRS complexes in Estonia should not greatly disturb Russia, Viktor Litovkin believes.

According to him, the Russian Federation has something to answer for the deployment of such weapons near its borders.

“We are calmly strengthening our security.

We have something to answer: the Western Military District is well equipped with modern weapons, so we will not spend a lot of money on every sneeze in Estonia to compensate for it.

What for?

We have everything we need to neutralize Estonian military equipment, ”summed up Litovkin.