Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told Postimees on Monday that Ukraine’s rhetoric suggesting the Baltic states could be Russia’s next targets is not accurate. “This serves the Kremlin’s interests by weakening allied unity,” the minister said. «We have also conveyed this to our Ukrainian partners.»
Tsahkna confirmed that there is no immediate military threat to Estonia and that Zelenskyy’s statements do not match intelligence assessments. »At present, we do not see Russia massing its forces or preparing in any way to attack NATO or the Baltic states – quite the opposite. In recent months, Ukraine has managed to regain territory, and developments in the Middle East have also worsened Russia’s economic situation,» he said.
«There is no doubt that efforts to strengthen European security must continue, and we expect all allies to rapidly increase defense spending, but there is no immediate threat to the Baltic states. Allied troops are present in Estonia, and our airspace is protected.»
The chairman of the Estonian parliament’s foreign affairs committee, Marko Mihkelson, said Ukraine must understand that repeatedly downplaying the Baltic states and their independent defense capabilities while portraying them as Russia’s next victims does not help Ukraine or any other country deter Russia.
Mihkelson noted that Russia’s goal is to weaken and destroy Western collective defense. Although Russia has lost more than 1.5 million people in the war—more than Estonia’s entire population—it continues to pursue this objective.
«Russia hopes that through influence operations it can create divisions within NATO or the European Union. Information warfare and the imposition of its narrative are in full swing. The Kremlin is further emboldened by the West’s lack of strategic clarity on how to stop Russian aggression,» he said. «There is also another aspect regarding messages from Ukraine’s supporters where they should be more cautious. On some occasions, their references to intelligence have turned out to be completely fabricated. This undermines trust at a time when early warning information is critically important.»
