U.S. troops have been stationed in Estonia on a rotating basis under a bilateral agreement since 2022. The number of personnel deployed has been between 500 and 700 but, at the moment, fewer than 100 remain.

Pevkur said he had been told by NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe and the commander of U.S. Army Europe that the next unit should arrive in Estonia during the summer and remain until the end of the year.

However, the size of the unit is unknown, and there is no information about what will happen in the coming years.

"That will become clear from the Pentagon's six-month review. But the next rotation should still move to Estonia during the summer," the minister told ERR on Sunday.

The next deployment is waiting on the new rotation to Poland, which also has an unclear timeline.

"Exactly when it reaches Poland is certainly not a matter of one year. It is a longer process. Then we will also see whether rotational units deployed to Estonia will come from that brigade or whether it will be some other unit," Pevkur said.

MP Kalev Stoicescu (Eesti 200), chairman of the Riigikogu's National Defense Committee, said the US has left countries on NATO's eastern flank waiting, regardless of how large a share of GDP they spend on defense.

"We can sing, dance and even hop on one leg. But in the end, the decision is made by the White House and the U.S. administration based on America's own interests and vision," he said.

Stoicescu added that if U.S. forces are to remain anywhere in Europe, it should be on the eastern flank.

Pevkur said no news on the future of U.S. troops in Estonia is expected at the NATO summit beginning in Ankara in the coming days. Estonia will have to rely on its own capabilities and the NATO battlegroups that continue to rotate through the Baltic states.

NATO's UK-led battlegroup, made up of British and French forces, has been deployed to Estonia since 2017.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!