Thank you, dear Mette, for coming to Estonia. Estonia and Denmark are very close Allies and friends. Denmark has had a long-term commitment to Estonian and Baltic defence. Danish forces are here in Tapa today as part of NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence. Your planes help to protect our skies in the Baltic Air Policing mission. Your ships help to secure our seas. Your government’s additional reinforcements – a navy fregate, F-16 fighter jets and a possible additional deployment of troops – to our region sends a strong message of support.
I welcome you here during a very challenging time. The Kremlin is continuing its brutal war against a sovereign, democratic country in the heart of Europe. The perspective is dark. A lot of innocent people have lost their lives. And it seems, many more lives will be lost, as Kremlin continues to target civilians and civilian infrastructure. Putin cannot win this war. He cannot even think he has won. That is why we need to keep concentrating on a policy of smart containment:
First, we all need to increase our efforts to support the people of Ukraine in their self-defence against the aggressor. Defensive military aid must be our top priority. This means weapons and matériel, including anti-tank missiles and longer-range air defense assets so Ukrainians can better protect their skies. Estonia has already provided Ukraine with over 220 million euros worth of assistance. We were one of the first to give Ukraine weapons for self-defence back in December.
Second, times have changed since February 24th. And so have we. Living at the frontline of democracies demands adapting to this new reality. We must show to the aggressor that we are ready to defend ourselves. And, if need be, to fight. That is why we need to strengthen our defence, collectively and individually. 2% of GDP on defence spending must be the floor, not the ceiling. Last week, in addition to decisions taken in January, my government decided to increase Estonia’s defence spending. This will take our defence budget to 2.5% of GDP. I also commend Denmark for its recent decisions to bolster national defence.
With friends like you, we feel safe. Yesterday 18 years ago, Estonia joined NATO. “Never alone again” was and will remain our motto. NATO is the most successful defence alliance. It has never been attacked. To keep it so in this new security reality, NATO needs to change.
This leads me to my third point. NATO will defend every inch of its territory. We need credible defence on land, in air and at sea. The current situation in our region is not sufficient in this regard. We must close the gap. We would need combat ready divisions supported by enablers to provide air defence, long range fires, and a command element. We must move from air-policing to air-defence. We need more NATO ships patrolling the Baltic Sea. In order to have peace, we have to prepare for war. Deterrence and defence are better and also cheaper than war.
Fourth, we need to continue to isolate the aggressor and dry up Russia’s war machine. We know that oil and gas is at the heart of this machine. European Union has already announced plans to cut Russian gas imports by two-thirds by the end of this year and end its energy dependence on Russia by 2030. But we can and should go further. I have also suggested to set up a special third-party account to prevent revenues from going towards financing the war. A significant share would go to future reconstruction plan for Ukraine. Russia will have to rebuild what it has destroyed.
Finally, I would once again like to thank you, dear Mette, for your visit and the Danish troops for being here. Estonia’s security is European security, it is Denmark’s security. Our excellent cooperation will continue and I hope to welcome you here again in the future.
Thank you.
