UK Weighs Deploying Nuclear-Capable F-35s to Estonia, Angering Russia

The United Kingdom is considering stationing a portion of the 12 nuclear-capable F-35A fighter jets it has ordered in Estonia, according to multiple policy analyses citing recent statements by Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur. London’s participation in NATO’s dual-capable aircraft mission would allow the aircraft to carry U.S. air-to-ground nuclear weapons, a capability Britain no longer possesses independently. Pevkur told Estonia’s Postimees newspaper after last month’s NATO summit that Tallinn is interested in hosting the jets. The deployment would likely be at the Tapa Army Base, where Britain already maintains its largest overseas troop contingent. Supporters argue the move would strengthen a joint Arctic-Baltic deterrence posture that NATO considers necessary even after a potential settlement of the war in Ukraine. Moscow reacted sharply. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that Estonia’s readiness to host nuclear-capable aircraft from any NATO country represents an “immediate danger” to Russia. The prospect adds to tensions along what analysts are calling an emerging Arctic-Baltic front, where the EU and NATO are expanding military infrastructure while Russia reinforces its own western borders.