The Baltic states need to demonstrate strength to deter Russia, Estonian President Alar Karis told LRT.lt in an interview.
"Because we are very small countries, we have to build out defence on deterrence. As we all know, Russia only recognises might, which means power," he said.
According to the president, Estonia will allocate 5.4% of its GDP to defence next year to beef up its air defence capabilities but also to produce more ammunition and reinforce the country's military industry.
"We know we got a neighbour who has been very aggressive, not only now in Ukraine but also the past. We forgot at some point that ambitions to grab land from neighbours is in Russia's genes," he said.
He also called for security guarantees for Ukraine, because history showed Russia could not be trusted.
"We had a peace agreement between Estonia and Russia in 1920 but 20 years later they invaded our country. So these peace treaties don‘t help," he said.
Karis downplayed Washington's reluctance to admit Ukraine into NATO.
"When we started our discussions about Estonia being a NATO member, we still had Russian troops on our ground," he said.
"Not everybody believed that Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were going to be part of NATO – but here we are," Karis added.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
