Margus Tsahkna commented on the original version of the peace plan for Ukraine. The issue of borders aroused the greatest emotions. The head of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that “an agreement cannot be concluded without punishment for the aggressor.”
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How do Estonians plan to respond to Russian border violations?
What is the peace plan for Ukraine about according to the Estonian minister?
Which countries are at risk of Russian aggression?
What did the Estonian minister say about the shooting down of Russian fighters?
— Russia cannot have any influence on the European security architecture, because this architecture was created mainly against Russia. It is the only aggressive country in our region. And when we talk about security, we are talking not only about Ukraine, but also about the Baltic countries, Poland and the entire Eastern Europe, which was part of the NATO expansion process – he said in an interview with o2.pl.
He stressed that Putin should under no circumstances be trusted. — There is no room for emotions here, but there is room for history. We remember what happened in 2008 in Georgia. The West's reaction to that aggression was not strong, and as a result, 20 percent remain today. Georgia's territory is occupied by Russia. Then came 2014 and the occupation of Crimea and the eastern regions of Ukraine. The Minsk agreements were signed then, but Russia continued its aggression anyway, he said.
– We absolutely cannot believe Putin, this is especially important in the case of countries bordering Russia, such as Estonia, but also Finland, Latvia, Poland and Romania – he added.
“This is the red line.” The head of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is firm about Russia's actions
He recalled that Russia is carrying out hybrid attacks throughout Europe. On September 19, Russian fighter jets violated Estonian airspace, and earlier drones had flown into Poland.
After the September incident, Tsahkna assured that Estonia would shoot down Russian planes if such situations occurred in the future.
— If we see that Russian fighters pose a threat to our security, we will shoot them down. This is a red line, Putin must remember it. He must be aware that this is NATO territory and he cannot commit such acts of aggression with impunity. We agree with Poland on this matter, he emphasized.
Russian soldiers on Estonian territory. “There is no discussion”
In October, the so-called green men – Russian soldiers operating without official military markings. Tsahkna assured that it was not a serious incident, but the border crossing was closed at that time as a precaution.
— It wasn't the first time we saw them. We observe them all the time, for example we have many different reports from Narva, which is a border town. Let me tell you straight: if little green men ever cross our border, we will shoot them. These will be the consequences, there is no discussion here. If Russia is not sure whether we will actually respond, they may test us, he warned.
