Ukraine is the focus of high-level delegations from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in Washington this week. In an interview with Eka Mahldadze of VOA’s Georgian service, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Chakna said there should be no Plan B when it comes to Ukraine because its failure would mean the failure of democracy. .
The following content has been edited for length and clarity.
Voice of AmericaQ: You visited Washington this week with colleagues from Latvia and Lithuania to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine and threats to European security with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Why?
Estonian Foreign Minister Magus Chakna: Talking about Ukraine is very important. This is the main topic. …NATO is the only effective security guarantee for Ukraine and the entire region.We discussed how we can continue to support Ukraine, and [how] We can also use frozen Russian assets to help Kiev. Estonia increased defense spending to 3.2% of GDP. We increased taxes, but the community supported us because they knew what was at stake. War may also come to our soil.
Voice of America: The United States approved $228 million in military and defense aid to the Baltic states. What concerns did you share with Secretary Blinken? What assurances have you received from the Biden administration?
Chahna: A large portion of U.S. aid money goes back into U.S. industry and the economy because we buy from the U.S.… Europe is doing its part by increasing defense spending, but we cannot shoulder the burden of European security alone. American leadership is critical to us. This is also an image issue. I sincerely hope that the aid package for Ukraine will pass Congress as soon as possible.
Voice of AmericaQ: What signal does this send to Moscow when the U.S. suspends aid and there is widespread concern among Ukrainian supporters that the U.S. and the West are not providing Kyiv with what it needs to win? Do you think Ukraine has the political will and preparation to win?
Chahna: Ukrainians are fighting because this is a fight for survival.because [Russian President Vladimir] Putin doesn’t want peace now. He wanted to destroy the entire nation as a nation. This is a crucial thing.We must understand that any idea or initiative [for peace talks] No Ukraine would be a trap. Putin needs this kind of initiative just to show that he is strong and we are weak. This is a trap.
We need to actually target, not for Ukraine [but] The same is true for us. We didn’t explicitly say we needed to win the war, or what victory would be. … We can’t just end with some kind of ceasefire. … We have to eliminate Putin or Russia’s will to invade.
Voice of America: During your visit to Washington, you were asked several times: ‘What if Ukraine fails? What does this mean to you? Are you prepared for such a scenario?
Chahna:No. We didn’t prepare Plan B because we had to invest in Plan A. …For us, the plan is very, very simple. this is very simple. Just meet their demands in Ukraine.they don’t ask [for] Boots on the ground to fight Russia. They asked for ammunition, weapons, money.
I don’t believe in the threat that Putin is going to use nuclear weapons, because over the last two years, every time we do something new, every time we provide a new level of weapons, ammunition, Putin has said it will be an upgrade. But in fact, nothing happened. He was just killing Ukrainians. He violated virtually every law and rule we had in place after World War II.
So we have to understand this: If we fail with Ukraine, there is no backup plan. … We are failing as a democracy. But we are investing in Plan A and our defense. We know Russia will remain a threat.
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