Estonia says it’s “ready to talk” with the U.S. about providing naval escorts for merchant ships traveling through the hotly contested Strait of Hormuz.

This week, Estonian Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur said he was in contact with Andy Baker, U.S. deputy national security advisor. Pevkur noted that Washington had not made a direct request for help from Estonia’s assistance, but that his comment was in response to President Donald Trump’s broader request for assistance from members of NATO. 

“When the president is saying something like that, then we need to be open … to understand what we can do together to solve that problem,” Pevkur said, adding there would have to be a ceasefire in the conflict before Estonia would take concrete action. 

With a total population of just 1.4 million, Estonia’s role would be limited.

Earlier, Estonia’s neighbor, Finland, said it could “see a potential deal” for European forces to play a role in the strait, though larger European Union member states including France, Germany, Italy, and Spain (as well as the U.K., a non-EU member state) have said they would not consider getting involved.