"Putin needs the war to stay in power" (Estonian Prime Minister)

According to the Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Putin needs the war to stay in power. For a country like Estonia, the Russian threat is not exaggerated.

Countries like Estonia have been dealing with hybrid and cyber-attacks for years, states the liberal Estonian Prime Minister. Kristen Michal warns that if Russia were to win the war in Ukraine, no European country could feel safe anymore, not even NATO members.

"We know that the fall of the Soviet Union was, for Putin, the greatest geopolitical tragedy of the twentieth century and that his goal has not changed. We are not afraid, we are prepared", says Michal.

According to Michal, who took over from Kaja Kallas in July last year when she became High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Putin could stop the war at any time if he wanted to. Therefore, both Europe and the US must keep up the pressure on Russia.

Under the influence of European leaders such as Giorgia Meloni and Emmanuel Macron, he sees a positive shift in the American position. The EU must continue to support Ukraine, including with a European deterrent force led by France and the UK once a ceasefire is reached. For Michal, it is also clear that Ukraine must become a member of the European Union in the future.

(PP with HL - Source: Corriere della Sera - Picture: @DPA picture alliance / Russian Look | Kremlin Pool)