Stop Russia now to prevent a wider conflict, Estonia warns
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearing the one-year mark, Estonia’s military leaders are warning that if Vladimir Putin is not stopped now, he could entangle the region in a much larger conflict, perhaps one with even larger security implications for the U.S. Kristjan Mäe is the head of the Estonian Ministry of Defense’s NATO and EU department
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearing the one-year mark, a top Estonian defense leader warned that if Vladimir Putin is not stopped now, he could entangle the region in a larger conflict, perhaps one with even greater security implications for the U.S.
That’s because Russia has shown it will keep trying to retake territories that were once part of the Soviet Union and, so far, economic sanctions and its significant military losses in Ukraine have not changed Putin’s larger goals, said Kristjan Mäe, the head of the Estonian Ministry of Defense’s NATO and EU department, as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited the Baltic nation on Thursday.
Estonia, which borders Russia, was forcefully incorporated into the Soviet Union during World War II and gained its independence only with the Soviet collapse in 1991. It joined NATO and the European Union in 2004.
“If we do not solve this war at this moment, where it is, first of all, there’s going to be a bigger war,” Mäe said.
