Dear people of Estonia,

Today, we celebrate Victory Day – the 105th anniversary of the successful Battle of Võnnu. We also commemorate all those who fell in the fight for our freedom and have found their final resting place in Garrison Cemetery or elsewhere.

In 1993, President Lennart Meri ordered that a Victory Day parade be held in a different Estonian city each year. Today, we have returned to Narva again. This is the place where the beginning and the end of the [War of Independence] symbolically meet: the first battles broke out here, in Narva, in 1918, and the Red Army's last attempts to invade failed here in 1919.

We have had to fight for our independence several times. For many of us, it became painfully clear how much we pay for life and freedom. It also became clear that freedom is not merely a gift that has fallen into our laps. You have to work consistently and tirelessly to safeguard it.

Unfortunately, history sometimes repeats its darker chapters as a reminder and makes us ask: what kind of terrible country attacks another state? What can we do to end this horrible situation and avoid it repeating again in the future?

The future is not predetermined, but we must do our utmost to ensure that moments of decision don't slip through our fingers like sand. Ukraine will not be helped by a lukewarm truce – only a victory. We need to help Ukraine survive this difficult year.

The situation on the front never seems to be good, but on the occasion of today's holiday, it's fitting to recall how quickly circumstances can change. Our War of Independence didn't exactly start off well: the first mobilization failed, with just one in ten men showing up [to fight]. The enemy, who at the time wasn't even that unfathomably large, seemed invincible.

It seems unbelievable that just a couple of months later, the territory of the Estonian state had been cleared of its conquerors. The war against the Landeswehr was stormed into with enthusiasm already. It was a tremendous victory, where we faced better-equipped and more professional forces.

We are fortunate to live in a country that, amid general uncertainty, is protected and secure. We have strong friends and allies. We work hard every day to keep it that way. Estonians are still willing and still know how to stand up for their country. That feeling of mutual support from the 1980s likely isn't the first memory that would come to mind, but that continues to linger in our body memory.

Thank you to all of you who contribute to the defense of the Estonian state, either as a volunteer, a reservist or active duty personnel. I'd like to thank employers and loved ones whose support is invaluable.

President Meri said that the Republic of Estonia is everywhere an Estonian citizen lives. Working toward a common goal, we are invincible.

Dear people of Estonia, I wish everyone a happy Victory Day and a happy Midsummer!

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