Putin intends to dispel Estonian security fears
In meeting with Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid, Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to dispel Estonian security concerns about its neighbor to the east. This was relayed in a telephone interview to the Postimees newspaper by the press secretary of the Russian Head of State, Dmitry Peskov. He also defined one of the main goals of the meeting.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to dispel Estonian security fears in meeting with Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid,” said Peskov in an interview with Postimees.
The main purpose of the meeting between the two leaders is to “get to know each other and discuss topical issues,” the press secretary of the Russian president noted. However, he does not believe that any specific decisions will be made as a result of the meeting.
“It is very important to communicate with each other,” Peskov explained in the interview. This is the reason Moscow agreed to hold the first bilateral meeting between the presidents of Russia and Estonia in 11 years. “We have a very large deficit in bilateral dialogue, especially at the highest level,” he added.
Kersti Kaljulaid, the first woman President of Estonia, assumed the post in October 2016. In November 2017, she took 78th place in the Forbes magazine's list of the 100 Most Influential Women. She first met Putin in November 2018 during events marking the anniversary of the end of the First World War.
In preparing for the bilateral meeting with the Russian president, Kaljulaid noted that she had no hidden intentions and desire to gain any advantage. Her goal is to be able to communicate, as leaders of neighboring countries should, and discuss a wide range of bilateral and international issues.