VOA Interview: Estonian President Alar Karis
Estonia’s president has long said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not only an attack on a neighboring country but a war on transatlantic values and democracy itself.
Just this week, the center-right Reform Party of Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, one of Europe’s most outspoken supporters of Ukraine, routed a far-right populist party that lost seats in parliament in an election focused on national security and the economy that, despite soaring inflation amid aftershocks of the war, drew voters in record numbers.
One of Europe’s smallest countries, the former Soviet Republic of roughly 1.3 million people has played an outsized role in pressing Western allies such as France and Germany to levy tougher sanctions and provide Ukrainians with more weapons. Recent reports indicate Estonia provides the most direct government support for Ukraine’s military in terms of GDP.
President Alar Karis on Tuesday sat down with VOA’s Eastern Europe Bureau Chief Myroslava Gongadze to discuss how the invasion has changed Estonian national security posturing and its expectations for fellow NATO and European Union member states as the government gears up for another term.
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
VOA: Estonia is a front-line country, and boosting national security has been a forefront concern for Estonia’s electorate. How has Russia’s invasion of Ukraine affected the Estonian people?
Estonian President Alar Karis: We are all front-line armies as far as democracy is concerned because it’s not only war in Ukraine, but … a war against our values. So it’s not only Estonia, it’s the whole democratic world. Of course, people are thinking about the war and talking about war and, of course, helping … Ukraine as much as possible.
VOA: Estonia is No. 1 in military support for Ukraine by GDP. Do you think Western countries are doing enough to stop the invasion and help Ukraine withstand the assault?
Karis: It’s never enough. I mean, it’s also concerned Estonia … because, you know, when the war is over and Russia is out of Ukrainian territory, [only] then we can start rebuilding Ukraine again. … So, this kind of help is needed, and we have to keep up and try to do everything. Estonia, of course, is a small country, [but] we can be an example. But, of course, we also encourage bigger ones to help Ukraine … politically and also militarily [and from a humanitarian standpoint].
VOA: Bordering Russia, Estonia is a front-line country as well. The threat is real. Right now, NATO is boosting its defense capacity around the eastern line. What are you expecting from NATO and allies in terms of support for your country?
Karis: What to expect is that we will continue to work together with our allies and [have] more NATO troops present here. It’s not a question [of Russia directly attacking] Estonia, Latvia or [the] eastern flank, it’s a question of [Russia] attacking … NATO. But I don’t think Russia will dare to do these kind of things as long as we have a military capacity, so long as we have allies present here in Estonia and other countries.
VOA: Your country became a member of NATO and the EU simultaneously, and you were able to build institutions and enjoy this community of democracies. What advice to you have for Ukraine on joining?
Karis: Shared values and, of course, training. A lot of training … to fulfill these requirements to become a member of NATO. [But] Ukraine is moving … rather fast, to be honest, which was also pleasing to … European officials [who’ve observed] that Ukraine is doing extremely, extremely well. Even during the war, they are dealing with corruption in Ukraine, so this is, in a way, it’s surprising, given that the whole war is going on and they are going to tackle the corruption in Ukraine. But it does take some time.
VOA: What about your potential vulnerabilities to Russian aggression? Are you concerned Russia could still act out and try to exploit Estonian vulnerabilities?
Karis: To be honest, I don’t see much of these kinds of things. We are a member of NATO. We belong to the European Union. And if there’s aggression against Estonia — if there’s aggression against … the Netherlands, Belgium, France — we are NATO members. I don’t think that Russia [would] dare to test Article 5.
VOA: A few years ago, Russia basically made Estonia a testing ground for cyberattacks. Are you now better prepared for these kinds of threats?
Karis: We are, and even Ukraine is quite well-prepared as far as cybersecurity is concerned. So, we saw experience and we, we shared this experience to many, many countries, not only in Ukraine. We are all under cyberattacks all the time, but we are able to defend ourselves. And that’s what’s important.
VOA: You were in Ukraine right before the war on February 22 of last year, and you returned shortly after the battle of Kyiv. It was a dangerous time to go, even in April. What personally compelled you to go?
Karis: It’s important to show the support of friends. So we went together with our Baltic presidents and the Polish president just to show the political support … and to actually see with your own eyes what has happened there in the suburbs. Being a witness is important to [holding] Russia accountable later on.
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