ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Students at Augustana College gained a new perspective when an international leader joined the class.
On Tuesday, April 9, Estonia's Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur visited students in an Augustana political science class. Pevkur told students that he felt it's important to get out and visit the United States beyond just seeing the usual crowd in Washington D.C. Pevkur also said that he noticed multiple similarities between the Midwest and Estonia, given their smaller size and heavy emphasis on agriculture.
In another, more unusual connection, the Estonian Army purchased 16,000 rifles from Eldridge-based Lewis Machine & Tool Company (LMT). LMT has contracts with several international militaries.
Pevkur told News 8 that Estonia and the rest of the world are closely monitoring the United States presidential election.
"We've heard what one of the candidates has said about NATO, about our cooperation. In that sense, it is very important for us also to be here and to explain why it's important to keep the good relations between Europe and the United States, why it's important to keep the unity in NATO," Pevkur said.
Pevkur also made the case to students that Western countries such as the United States should continue to support Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia.
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