Estonia's prime minister told Sky News that Western leaders “should not be afraid” to stand up to Russia and “should not be afraid of their power.”
Kaja Kalas, which is located on the northwestern border RussiaHe said everything must be taken into account when it comes to how to support the West Ukraine The war effort.
She said: “Russia says this or that step is an escalation, but defense is not an escalation. I am saying that we must have all options on the table. What more can we do to help Ukraine win?”
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Weekend warriors in Estonia
the Estonian The Prime Minister was speaking to Sky on the World program on Wednesday with Yalda Hakim and after the French President Emmanuel Macron He was heavily criticized for his proposal It is possible to send Western forces to Ukraine To help repel the Russian threat.
The United Kingdom, United States and Germany were quick to say that their armies would not join President Volodymyr Zelensky Armed forces on the ground in Ukraine.
In response to a question about whether she was concerned in light of the death of the Russian opposition leader Alexei NavalnyThat her strong words might make her a target Vladimir Putin Kallas, who became prime minister in 2021, said she would not be bothered by the regime itself, and called on allies to ignore Moscow's provocations.
“Russia wants to intimidate us. That's how they work. They want to make me or Estonia afraid and make us abstain from decisions that we would otherwise have taken and be advocates for supporting Ukraine, Western unity, everything,” she said. It really bothers them a lot.
“But I think the answer to that is that we shouldn't be afraid, and we shouldn't abstain from decisions that we would otherwise make, because that's how terrorists work. They want us to be afraid. The only answer is that 'is that we We are not afraid. We act according to what is right.”
The Baltic country, a former Soviet republic, has been a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since 2004, when it joined the alliance, along with Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
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“We will not stop helping Ukraine”
If Russia attacks, its 30 NATO partners will inevitably come to Estonia's defense.
Ms. Klass said that despite the availability of security membership Donald Trump It was a “fair criticism” of NATO spending and urged all members to do their share.
“What provokes an aggressor or tyrant is weakness. So, you go to war if you think you can win and… only when you think you are stronger.”
“So, if we give signals that we're not doing enough to defend ourselves, that we're not taking this seriously enough, that could provoke the aggressor to take another step. That's why I've called for investing more than [the NATO target] 2% of GDP for defence.
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“Wake up to the Russian threat,” Estonians tell the West
“Estonia contributes 3.2% to our GDP, but not all countries do that. I was really surprised. I thought that when the war started in Ukraine two years ago, it was a wake-up call for all Europeans.” Countries must do more, spend more on defense, [but] In 2023, 11 countries spent more than 2%. “And I don't really understand why.”
She said that would never have happened during the Cold War.
“In 1988, all NATO countries spent more than 2% because the threat was real. There was a cold war. Now there is a hot war being fought in Europe. However, not everyone takes it seriously enough.”
