MOSCOW: The Kremlin on Friday expressed concern over Estonia’s readiness to host NATO’s stealth jets, adding that the decision posed a direct threat to Moscow.
Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur told the Postimees news outlet on Thursday that Estonia – which borders Russia and is a rotating base for NATO jets tasked with protecting Baltic airspace, was ready to host nuclear-capable F-35A jets if necessary.
“If some of them, regardless of their country of origin, have a dual-use capability to carry nuclear weapons, it doesn’t affect our position on hosting F-35s in any way,” the outlet cited him as saying.
“Of course, we are ready to host our allies.”
Hanno Pevkur made the remarks after Britain—also a NATO member—announced plans to purchase at least 12 F‑35A jets capable of carrying nuclear warheads and to participate in NATO’s airborne nuclear mission.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to Pevkur’s statement by calling the move “an obvious threat to Russia.” He warned that hosting such jets would pose “an immediate danger” and dismissed the idea as another instance of “absurd thoughts” from Baltic leaders
“Of course it would be an immediate danger,” Peskov told a journalist from Russia’s Life news outlet. He said the statement was one of many “absurd thoughts” voiced by politicians in the Baltic region, which comprises Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
“We have practically no relations with the Baltic republics because it is very difficult to make them worse,” he said.
