"We need to wrest the money from the hands of those who are helping Russia continue this war. Russia must be hit where it hurts the most," says Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal in an interview with DW.
NATO allies are discussing whether and how to react more firmly to Russian attempts to invade NATO airspace. One of the voices receiving special attention in this discussion is that of Estonia. On September 19, the General Staff of the Estonian Armed Forces reported that three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets had entered the country's airspace over the Gulf of Finland without permission and remained there for 12 minutes. In an interview with DW, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal shares her view of NATO's defense strategy and Europe's tasks to counter Russia's aggressive course.
DW: Do you feel sufficient support from the EU?
Trump's words are a strong signal
Kristen Michal: Not only from Brussels, because as soon as we invoked Article Four of the North Atlantic Treaty, everyone supported us - from the Baltic countries and Northern Europe to President Trump, who then repeatedly stated that if necessary, the US would defend Poland and the countries of the Baltic region. These signals were strong. Yes, we feel that NATO is functioning and our allies support us.
DW: What do you think, should a plane that entered Estonian airspace and dared to stay there for more than ten minutes be shot down? What do Estonians think about this?
Kristen Michal: The problem is with Putin and Russia, which sends drones into Polish airspace, attacks Ukraine and violates our airspace. Every case of violation will be assessed. As we saw in Poland, the drones were shot down. Should we shoot down these planes? That should be assessed by the NATO command.
DV: This is probably a more serious escalation than before. This time the Russian pilots obviously knew that they were in Estonian airspace, so nothing was accidental. It seems that Russia is trying to provoke Estonia.
Putin is trying to play with us
Kristen Michal: Yes, your assessment is correct: they knew that they had to leave our airspace, but they stayed. This is either unusual negligence on the part of Russia or a manifestation of malicious intent, because the Russians have violated the air borders of European countries. And by doing so, they are sending the following message to us and to our public: Don't give anything to Ukraine, think about your own security. Putin seems to be trying to play with us.
DV: Do you think this method can work? I mean, support for Ukraine has not decreased, especially in the Baltic countries, which are close to the front. Is this attempt at intimidation having any impact on public opinion in Estonia? In Denmark, the appearance of drones was a matter of concern for the entire society.
Kristen Michal: This may be affected by the news for 5 or 10 minutes, but we need to see the essentials. And that is that we are strong and determined. And we are aware that the problems are created by Russia, not by anyone else. We need to focus on withdrawing Russian troops from Ukraine, on wringing money out of the hands of those who help the Russian Federation continue the war.
Russia's "Shadow Fleet" sails the Baltic Sea. The revenues it brings in provide approximately half of Russia's military budget. This is fresh money that Putin receives to continue waging his war against Ukraine, Europe, and NATO. No one can wage war without money. If we take away Putin's money, he will not be able to wage war.
A strong alliance and strong pressure on Russia
Russia must be hit where it hurts the most. Why is Europe buying various goods, raw materials, and energy resources from Russia, but at the same time collecting money to support Ukraine in its fight against this same Russia? In my opinion, this is a contradiction. In addition, NATO needs to remain a strong alliance - with the United States. If the pressure continues in this direction, Russia will sooner or later be forced to back down.
DV: And what about Estonia's own plans? You spend a lot on defense, but for now you only have ground-based air defense. Are you considering changing this ratio?
Kristen Michal: We are developing our capabilities in accordance with NATO's defense plans. Next year, our defense investments will amount to 5% of GDP. I would say that this is probably the most difficult decision that the country has to make. Because, although everyone understands the need for such a step, it requires raising taxes and cutting spending in the public sector. And such measures are not very popular.
Everyone probably understands that it will be difficult, but that is the price. Everyone wants to live in peace, for their children to live in peace, for the borders to be strong. That is why we need to invest in defense.
DV: The Baltic countries and Poland have been talking about the need to increase defense capacity for years. Doesn't it bother you that Russia's military industry has overtaken Europe?
Kristen Michal: Russia is a large country and is leading in terms of numbers, but not in the field of high technology. We help Ukraine, Ukraine helps Europe because at certain times we will have access to their intellectual property and experience to oppose Russia if necessary. We are not lagging behind in knowledge or technology, but most of all we are not lagging behind economically, because Europe is much stronger than Russia there.
Russia perceived this as a weakness of Europe
In terms of quantity, Russia is probably currently producing many times more than us. But I would say that in three, five, seven years Europe will have a defense potential. Europe was a peaceful project, without weapons, and now it will have weapons for peace.
DV: And how did you react to the public statements of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel in recent days? For example, the accusation against the Baltic states that they opposed the idea of negotiating with Vladimir Putin?
Kristen Michal: Well, in Europe they thought that we should be polite with Putin. Russia perceived this as a weakness of Europe. When you call and ask Russia for something, they think: “Okay, they are weak. We will put more pressure”. The only thing that helps against Russia is determination, a firm position, steadfastness and unity. So I would say that everyone is free to write their memoirs, but in Estonia Merkel's words do not find much resonance.