Baltic NATO nation sounds alarm due to UK troop drop

(MENAFN) Estonia has raised concerns about its national security following a significant reduction in the number of British troops and tanks stationed in the Baltic country as part of NATO's defense presence. The drawdown has sparked doubts about the UK’s ability to contribute forces for potential peacekeeping operations in Ukraine after a ceasefire, The Times reported.

Riho Terras, a former commander of the Estonian Defense Forces and current MEP, told Times Radio that the UK is struggling to assemble a brigade-sized force of 3,000 to 5,000 troops, which it had originally committed to. He pointed to financial challenges within the British military, which are becoming increasingly evident in Estonia. Terras expressed concern about the UK's limited participation in NATO's Exercise Hedgehog this May, a key regional training operation.

The UK's troop presence in Estonia has been reduced to around 1,000, down from 1,650 in April 2022, with fewer than ten Challenger tanks now stationed there. These numbers are close to pre-Ukraine conflict levels, despite earlier promises to bolster the UK's presence in the region.

As the UK and France push to form a “coalition of the willing” to deploy troops to Ukraine after a ceasefire, questions have been raised about Britain's ability to contribute effectively to this force, given its reduced military presence in Estonia. NATO's eastward expansion has long been a point of contention for Russia, which views the alliance’s enlargement as a major security threat.

MENAFN08042025000045015687ID1109401738