Foreign Minister of Estonia: twice in the past decade Russia has shown that it can invade its neighbors
The Estonian Foreign Minister, Sven Mikser, said that Russia is a country which is ready to go to war with its neighbors to achieve political goals, in an interview with Current Time, commenting on the recent visit of the U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Postimees reports.
Answering the correspondent's question as to whether Estonia feels safe, Mikser answered, "Estonia definitely feels that our allies are protecting us. We believe that the deterrence policy really works. We neighbor a large country that possesses nuclear weapons. A country which has demonstrated twice over the past ten years that it is ready to go to war with its neighbors to achieve political goals. And we cannot take it easy. On the contrary, we should take it very seriously."
At the same time, Mikser noted that Putin's actions are predictable.
"We think that Putin and his regime are acting with cold prudence. Their actions are not unpredictable. But these actions can be restrained if the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance confront them with force and determination,” Mikser said. “This is what we have been doing in the recent years, and we will continue these efforts. We should unanimously make it clear that we are ready to do anything to preserve peace and security in our region. And when we do it right, it works."