Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said that his country is not opposed to deploying British F-35A fighters, which can carry nuclear weapons, on its territory.
This is reported by The Telegraph.
"I am always open. The door is always open for allies," Pevkur replied to a corresponding question from journalists.
British F-35A fighter jets have long been deployed at Amari Air Base in Estonia as part of NATOʼs Baltic Air Policing mission. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia do not have their own fighter jets.
In early 2025, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared plans to purchase 12 of these aircraft, with deliveries set to begin by the end of the decade.
The Telegraph notes that the US manufactures these aircraft, as well as controlling the supply of the B61 nuclear bomb carried by the F-35A. This means that Washington must consent to any nuclear strike.
A source with ties to the British military said that “there is no need to have a strategic forward-deployed capability in a tactical position in Estonia”. The new F-35As, he said, “will act less as a deterrent than as an agitator”, and that they would be “highly risky in the event of a first strike by Russia”.
Russian fighters over Estonia: what is known
Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland without permission on September 19, staying there for a total of 12 minutes. As a result, the Estonian government initiated Article 4 consultations with NATO.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that the incursion of Russian fighter jets into the airspace of a NATO country is not an accident, but a systemic campaign by the Russian Federation against the West, which requires a "systemic response and strong actions".
At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Defense denied that their MiG-31 fighters had flown into Estonian airspace.
Against the backdrop of this incident, a meeting of the North Atlantic Council was held on September 23, following which the Alliance stated that this invasion "is part of a broader pattern of increasingly irresponsible behaviour by Russia".
NATO promised a "decisive response to Russiaʼs reckless actions" and emphasized that these and other "irresponsible steps" by the Russian Federation will not deter allies from their commitments to support Ukraine.
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