President Alar Karis said that Europe missed the opportunity to start peace talks with Russia at the beginning of the Ukraine war. Karis told Yle that relations with Russia will remain difficult for a long time. Even if the war in Ukraine ends.
Karis said that Russia must change. He gave the example of Nazi Germany. After World War II, Germany changed. In less than ten years, Germany joined NATO and the European Union.
Russia launched a full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022. Karis said that Europe made a mistake in the spring. They missed the chance to start peace negotiations.
When Russian troops were pushed back from Kyiv, Europe could have talked with Russia. Now no one comes to the negotiations anymore.
Europe must make a plan for peace negotiations and the post-war period. Karis said we must start immediately.
The European Union has invested heavily in Ukraine. It cannot happen that at the right moment, the negotiations involve the USA, Russia, and other countries, but Europe is absent.
We must have ideas on how to deal with Russia. Plans must be made now because processes take a long time in the European Union.
In recent months, Karis has been criticized. In Estonia, his words were interpreted as if he were calling on Europe to talk with Russia and demanding Ukraine to cede territory.
Karis rejected these claims. He said that Ukraine must decide for itself what to do. We cannot dictate to them.
Estonia has strongly invested in national defense in recent years. This year, defense spending exceeds 5% of GDP.
Karis understands people's concerns. Inflation is driving up prices, and other expenses have been cut. Culture and social services are important, but there is no other choice now. Difficult times must simply be endured.
Karis also rejected claims that Estonia is increasing defense spending only to look good in the eyes of the USA. He said we are doing this based on our own needs and NATO defense plans.