Ilves: Russia will not attack Baltic nations
Fears that Russia will directly attack the Baltic nations, or even launch a hybrid war, are exaggerated, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said in an interview with Neuer Zürcher Zeitung.
“We are a NATO member and Russia will not pit itself against NATO,” Ilves said in the interview.
He said he does not expect relations between Estonia and Russia to improve quickly. Ilves added that Russia is hoping the West forgets the annexation of Crimea as Syria prevails. He said EU and the United States have no plans to drop sanctions against Russia before it fills the Minsk agreement.
“It is foolish to think Russians in Estonia are causing instability. Look at the standard of living – who among them would like to belong to the Russian side, where there are no prospects,” he said, commenting on the large Russian-speaking minority in Estonia.
Editor: J.M. Laats