"I know what you want from me – you want black or white. I don't want to commit to that because the situation is much more complex and cannot be described by saying 'Crimea belongs to this' or 'Crimea belongs to someone else,'" Svet said in 2018 to the publication Vetšjorka.

On Monday, opposition Isamaa leader Urmas Reinsalu reminded Svet and the public of Svet's six-year-old interview with the Russian-language publication. Coalition partner, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) also commented to Delfi, stating that someone who doubts Crimea's belonging to Ukraine is not suitable for the government and that he expects a clear stance from Svet on this topic.

On Tuesday morning, Svet remarked on Raadio 2's morning program, regarding his Vetšjorka interview, that it was quite lengthy and covered various topics. However, Svet emphasized that his stance on the Crimea issue is clear: "Crimea is part of Ukraine, Russia's aggression against Ukraine is unjustified and unprovoked, and Estonia must support Ukraine for as long as necessary for the country to win the war," said Svet.

Svet is also convinced that the government must increase defense spending to ensure the protection of Estonia and Europe and to provide Ukraine with necessary support.

"I believe that as someone who, when the full-scale war in Ukraine began, led the reception of refugees in Tallinn during the first few months, I don't need to prove that I'm not a donkey. Where I stand is clear and quite black and white, and if Margus [Tsahkna] wanted to know, he could have asked me. But I'm sure we'll get to know each other better over time," Svet said.

Svet, who has been active in municipal politics until now, acknowledged that a government member, especially one from a Russian-speaking background, must indeed answer such questions. "It is probably true that often Russian-speaking politicians feel they have to undergo loyalty tests, but I understand that the standard for a government member is higher."

Svet also dismissed Monday's media claims that, besides the Social Democrats, the Reform Party had invited him to join their ranks. Svet called the claim about the Reform Party a blatant lie.

Regarding his former home party, the Center Party, Svet noted that in recent months, he has felt that the Center Party has begun to move towards ideologies similar to EKRE. He does not see anything wrong if the Center Party considers it an opportunity to grow bigger again, but Svet claimed it would have been difficult for him to be part of such a Center Party. "I am a left-centrist, progressive person, and the Social Democratic Party currently represents that best."

He also thought that if there was a time when the Center Party sent messages that Russian native speakers could succeed there, one of the reasons the Social Democrats offered him a ministerial position is that SDE also wants to send such a message to society.

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