Speaking at a press conference on Monday, President of Estonia Alar Karis said that Russia is escalating its aggression on the front line in Ukraine ahead of the coming of winter in an attempt to create panic or a sense of resignation among the Ukrainian population.

Karis added that the first Russian attacks with new types of ballistic missiles have already taken place and the threat of Russian sabotage remains.

The Estonian President also noted that there is pressure from a number of quarters around the world to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, yet Russia continues to make its demands.

"It remains unclear what there is to negotiate. After all, Russia is demanding the occupied parts of Ukraine and NATO's withdrawal to its 1997 borders – in other words, total capitulation. This proves that we have no alternative but to support Ukraine even more, to force Russia to end this war, and to do it together with our allies. Because there is no reason for us to deviate from this course, rather it is the right time to step up the pressure," Karis said.

Karis added that NATO already decided 16 years ago that Ukraine's place is in the Alliance. Now, according to the President, the time has come to extend a formal invitation to Ukraine.

According to Karis, NATO is strong when both the U.S. and Europe put their weight behind it. The U.S. should have a visible presence in Europe, but Europe itself must also take more responsibility for its own security.

Karis added that every NATO ally has to meet the two percent defense spending requirement, however, there is a clear need to raise this level closer to three percent.

Karis stressed that Estonia's main focus is on self-defense, as no ally will help a country that does not help itself. He praised the Estonian government for raising defense spending to close to four percent over the coming years.

"Looking also at the recent NATO troop requirements, it is clear that in the future we will have to talk about more, maybe even five percent. Building an independent defense capability is not a one-off effort, but an ongoing one," the Estonian President said.

Michal: Security is a matter for all of us

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) said during the same press conference that Russia is in a hybrid war against Europe, which is continuing and getting even more serious.

"Estonia is prepared for this, vigilance is being maintained and the security authorities are assessing the various incidents in Estonia and in our neighborhood. The Estonian state and people have so far coped well in crises. As the president said, we must work for a free and secure Estonia. Security is a matter for all of us, it requires effort from every person, local government and state institutions," Michal said.

Michal pointed out that the Estonian government has formulated its goals in the security field as the growth of the defense industry in addition to increased defensive capabilities. The prime minister explained that one of the lessons from the ongoing war in Ukraine is that the existence of a defense industry is very important for defensive capabilities, as it ensures the resources will be available if and when the situation becomes critical and urgent.

The prime minister added that Estonia will spend €5.6 billion on defense in the coming years, plus €1.6 billion on ammunition. "This is a message to our adversaries that our resolve should not be tested."

According to Michal, European countries are increasingly realizing that they can no longer cope with current levels of defense spending and that Europe needs to invest more in its own security.

"Is two percent enough? I think not. I have already outlined to my partners at various NATO meetings that this level should be increased to at least 2.5 percent /...In any case, more needs to be done, because generally speaking, if you want peace, you have to prepare for everything else."

Speaking about the damage sustained by undersea communication cables in the Baltic Sea last week, Michal said that countries are closely investigating these incidents and it is imperative to establish how they occurred. Michal added that Estonia and Finland need to agree that in the event of any damage, whether man-made or natural, the broken undersea infrastructure has to be repaired as soon as possible.

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