While politicians started making promises to fix the economy before the last Riigikogu election in March 2023, taking loans or raising taxes is essentially the only way to do so, Karis told Vikerradio. He said concrete steps must be taken to reduce the budget deficit and the loan burden.

"First of all, we need to start, and then look at what those essential steps are. We know there is also talk about the defense tax and so on. But at the moment everything is standing still, these steps have not been taken. And if the wrong step is taken, then at some point we (simply) have to admit that it was not the right one, we will change it and then take another step, perhaps a longer one," he said.

Ministers have said making equal cuts across each ministry is one way forward. While Karis acknowledged this is the easiest way, he disagrees with the method.

"This is not a very good approach. I would suggest looking at what is important, what is less important. We see that security is important. And hopefully education is also important," said Karis.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said 5-7 percent cuts could be made across the board and "quite brutally". Karis said action is needed.

"That 5-6 percent is not a very large percentage, if done sensibly. But once again, it is up to the government to decide whether to do it across the board or a bit smarter. Time is short. /.../ So we have to take action, the minister of foreign affairs has been saying for a long time that we have to cut back, but it has all remained a matter of discussion," the president told the show.

It is necessary to explain the situation to the population – for example, why taxes should rise or loans need to be taken, Karis said. "We are not going to burn real cars and houses, but despite this, society's tolerance is one aspect that must be looked at when we make these changes," he said.

"No tax is popular understandably, but I believe if you explain... One of the problems we've had all along with all taxes is that we cannot explain what it is for and where it goes. If you explain it, people will understand that it is necessary. So you just have to make a bit of an effort to explain it to people and in relatively simple language so that people understand it, not in a complicated bureaucratic way," he added.

When listening to politicians speak, it seems that they are just waiting for the next economic forecast, the president said.

"Then seeing whether the graph is up or down. If it's up, we're satisfied; if it's down, we're worried until the next analysis. Several years have already been mentioned here, 2026 and 2028, and it is the flurry of years that's confusing – when do things get crazy or when do things start to get better?" said the president.

He said postponing important decisions is not only an Estonian problem, but something happening across Europe.

"The European Union as a whole has, I think, reached a phase where we are trying to preserve what we have. And that is not a good approach. We have achieved a lot, Estonia included, but preservation – that is a very dangerous approach, it means that we start to reject new ideas in a sense; we start to reject also when we see that some regions, some countries are moving faster and we try to slow them down rather than thinking about how to pick up the pace ourselves," he said.

'Sometimes I even feel that I'm leaving something unsaid'

Asked if he agrees with academic Jaak Aaviksoo that there are subjects, such as peace in Ukraine, that it is not wise to discuss in public, Karis said he did.

"I think so. In the context of the war in Ukraine, this is already coming more into focus. People have been thinking for a long time about what they are saying and whether they are saying it, whether they are expressing their opinion in a way that is clearly there. And what peace will look like in Ukraine /.../ people do not want to discuss it. We should still discuss the issue, consider the alternatives, what one or the other option means. But, unfortunately, there is no such discussion, because there is a sense of guilt. And it is very, very easy to create it today," said Karis.

Asked if we are far from self-censorship when opinions do not coincide with mainstream thought, Karis said we are already there.

"It is absolutely there. Sometimes I even feel that I'm leaving something unsaid that might be worth discussing anyway. Don't we all choose our words – it's so easy to take a sentence out of context and put it somewhere else. We have all experienced this, both journalists themselves and those with talk to journalists," said Karis.

The president said politicians tend to take the path of least resistance and not communicate with colleagues with differing opinions.

"We are often afraid to communicate with people with whom we disagree. It is very pleasant to discuss the things of the world with people who agree (with us). It is understandable and very, very human. But sometimes you still have to communicate and find common ground with people who may not be of the same mind as you are," he said.

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