It is my great pleasure to welcome you in Estonia. I wish it could be under different circumstances. We are here because the security of Europe has changed dramatically. After a long and aggressive lead-up in Georgia, Crimea, Donbas, last week all masks came off and the whole world can now see – Putin has gone from an autocrat to an outright aggressor and Russia from a difficult neighbour to a rogue state.
Putin has unleashed 200 000 soldiers against a free and sovereign country. Their targets: hospitals, schools, kindergartens, innocent Ukrainian lives. And we unfortunately expect to witness even more horrors, including indiscriminate bombings. We mourn all the lives lost in Putin’s war. We are also seeing dangerous neglect of nuclear safety by the Russian troops. Ukraine has just informed that Lukashenko’s troops have also entered Ukraine.
The whole international community must now stand up against this evil. Allies have been united against this aggression since the very beginning. We have witnessed a fundamental change of policies across the democratic world – all in support of Ukraine and aimed at isolating the aggressor. Some of them seemed unthinkable even a few days ago.
NATO needs to upgraded forward defence strategy and also in our region. This needs to include:
- On land - establishing permanent increased allied presence.
- In air - establishing a credible air defence.
- Developing NATO's upgraded defence plans at once.
At the same time, we need to continue our urgent support to Ukraine. Military aid is critical here. Estonia will continue with support as we provide significant military, financial and humanitarian aid. We cannot stop until we have stopped Putin. This is what we simply must do for ending the brutal violence and destruction and for helping the brave people of Ukraine. And Ukraine should be given a very clear perspective to join the EU.
The security of Ukraine is the security of Europe. Although, there is no direct military threat to our region, NATO must make a leap now and adapt rapidly to the new security situation. We must move from forward presence to forward defence and from air-policing to air defence.
I welcome the decisions already taken to immediately strengthen our defence here. We are today in Tapa where we can witness the very real collective efforts and commitment of NATO. I would like to thank the United Kingdom and all Allies who are already present here in Estonia and sending additional forces to the Baltic region.
Thank you.
