International Centre for Defence and Security

The 19th annual Lennart Meri Conference will take place on 15-17 May 2026 in Tallinn, Estonia.

The world order is undergoing an upheaval at least as radical as the end of the Cold War. Back then, Estonia made crucial choices regarding the restoration of independence and return to the western world, which served the country well for more than three decades.

Europe's energy system is undergoing a profound transformation driven by geopolitics, security concerns, and climate objectives.

Russia’s war against Ukraine has profoundly worsened Europe’s security environment, but it has also spurred deeper regional cooperation. The challenge now is to ensure that this growing number of initiatives remains purposeful, adds concrete value, and strengthens both the EU and NATO.

This spring, ICDS celebrates 20 years of work as a think tank. The ICDS was founded in 2006 by the decision of the Estonian Government on the 31st of March and officially registered on 12th of April 2006.

The story of how the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) came to be begins not in 2006, when the centre was officially established, but in the late 1990s, when Estonia was taking its first steps toward NATO.

As Russia’s protracted war against Ukraine entered its fifth year, Moscow’s ability to sustain its war effort increasingly depends on Asian partners—the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).