Kaljulaid, who met with Putin in Moscow in 2019 while serving as president (2016-2021), said the two-hour meeting was too short to get an idea of ​​Putin's inner workings.

"What I can say is that he comes to meetings trying to show that he has all the facts at his fingertips. If he gets caught not knowing something, like the fact that Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 are under different regulations – I hope his advisor survived that! He really enjoys showing how smart he is," she told the "Otse uudistemajast" online broadcast on Wednesday.

While some in the West believe Putin has lost his mind, Kaljulaid said she has no doubts that he is acting rationally.

"I believe they are [acting rationally], and we are not just talking about Putin. I think the entire regime, the whole group, sees their main task as preserving and restoring the empire. Empires must expand, or they die. This is the essence of imperial thinking," said Kaljulaid.

The former president said the belief that Russia and Russians are superior to other nations is widespread in the country and among Putin's regime. It must be taken into account that several opposition politicians also think this way, she added.

"Americans elect the president they want"

While U.S. officials have promised the presidential administration is acting tough on Ukraine in the run-up to the election this autumn, Kaljulaid has seen little sign of this.

"It seems to me that they are genuinely worried, and unfortunately, even openly so, about Russia's reaction. This could also be the reason why the Ukrainians undertook the Kursk operation — essentially saying, "Look, we're on Russian territory, and there are no nuclear missiles; get it together"," she told the show.

Kaljulaid said Democratic candidate Kamala Harris may not be very differ from Joe Biden in her attitude towards Ukraine if she becomes president.

"I also have no reason to believe that the approach would suddenly become much bolder or more radical. However, if you look at Harris's advertisements, where she even references Ronald Reagan and talks about standing up for American values around the world, it seems to create space for that possibility," said Kaljulaid.

But regardless of whether the Americans elect Harris or Donald Trump as president, the rest of the world must accept it and the allies must cooperate with the new president, she said.

"The American people choose the president they want, and the rest of us have to work with who the president is," the former president said.

Kaljulaid also met with Trump as president. She said Trump's tenure was good for Eastern Europe in terms of security.

"We experienced a completely classic Republican foreign policy during that time. We had official visits, and when Estonia celebrated its 100th anniversary, we visited the White House. Trump said: "We shall never let you down", Kaljulaid said.

Kaljulaid said then Vice President Mike Pence played a big role in Eastern European politics; however, it is difficult to say what views Trump's current vice presidential candidate JD Vance actually has.

"When I compare Pence to Vance, there's still a very big gap," she said.

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