The prime minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, has promised to come to Estonia’s aid in case it was invaded by Russia.
“Article 5 of NATO says that we do go to the support of any NATO country that has military action against it,” May told Sky News. “Sometimes people think there is going to be a change in the American approach to NATO. From the conversations I’ve had, I think America remains fully committed to NATO, as we do.
May also said British troops would also take part in military exercises in Estonia designed to highlight the “seriousness with which NATO considers its responsibilities”.
“We’re already taking some steps to show the seriousness with which NATO considers its responsibilities. There will be UK troops on exercise in Estonia this year,” she added.
The US president-elect, Donald Trump, has said he wouldn’t automatically rush to NATO allies’ aid. During the campaign, he pointed out that if Russia attacked Estonia, he would decide whether to come to its aid only after reviewing whether the country has “fulfilled their obligations to us”, without specifying which obligations he had in mind.
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Cover: Typhoon aircraft arrival at the Ämari Air Base in Estonia as the prepare to start a period of Baltic Air Policing. Photo: UK Ministry of Defence.
