Russia’s undeclared war on its neighbors didn’t begin last year with large-scale troop deployments to its border with Ukraine. It started in 2008 with the Kremlin’s military intervention against Georgia and continued in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea, Estonia’s top diplomat said Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets said she wasn’t particularly surprised when she first learned of Russia’s military threats to Ukraine.
“Russia does not want to have democratic and prosperous countries around its borders. They would like to reestablish the buffers zones around” Russia, Ms. Liimets told the Center for a New American Security, a Washington-based think tank.
Unlike Ukraine, Estonia is a NATO member and enjoys the protection of the Atlantic alliance.
“But there are many migrant workers from Ukrain in Estonia. Everyone is really worried about it,” Ms. Liimets said. “We have provided them with economic support and we’ve also provided military support and political support.”
She was struck by the unity between NATO members and within the European Union over the Ukraine crisis.
“The current security crisis in Europe has clearly shown that the United States has a very important role,” Ms. Liimets said. “It’s very important that we have seen this leadership from the United States. We really hope this continues.”
As the crisis in Ukraine has intensified, the U.S. deployed more than 6,000 troops to eastern Europe to bolster nervous NATO allies, such as Poland and Romania. Ms. Liimets said she would like to see the American personnel remain once the current crisis is resolved.
“We would, of course, welcome the presence of the U.S in the Baltic region. It would be a clear sign for our people,” she said.
Like Ukraine, Estonia shares a border with Russia, a nation where civil society is under severe pressure. Ms. Liimets said government officials there are throwing dissenters into jail and closing down independent think tanks. She said Moscow has a “massive” disinformation apparatus aimed at its own people, including influencing polling.
“Polls clearly show that a majority of Russians believe this war [against Ukraine] was not created by Russia but by western countries, by NATO particularly,” Ms. Liimets said.
President Biden has threatened to impose major sanctions against Moscow if President Vladimir Putin orders his tanks to roll across the border into Ukraine. Such an economic move would have a negative impact on other countries in the region, Ms. Liimets said.
“But at the same time, from our perspective, it’s important to have strong and massive sanctions [in the event of a Russian invasion] so it would have the effect we’re talking about,” she said. “We must continue to be vigilant.”
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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