Speaking to Reuters, Rosin said: "The task for NATO in the coming 10-20 years will be to contain or deter Russia so it doesn't get any stupid ideas to push towards the West militarily."

"I think it's doable, but the issue needs to be taken seriously in the West, and that we invest in defense."

"NATO and national military plans must be credible, must be real, and must be backed up with real resources, regarding troops present, follow-on units, ammunition," he added.

"If we do our homework properly, then we will be able to deter Russia," Rosin continued.

While Russia has repeatedly denied it has any designs on attacking a NATO country, its defense minister said this week Moscow must be ready to fight the NATO military alliance in Europe in the next decade.

Rosin said it was hard for him to envisage Russia negotiating over Ukraine anytime soon, but he added that Russia would be "trying to limit NATO's activities, NATO infrastructure, and the troop presence in the vicinity of Russia," including in NATO's eastern flank states.

He also warned of a potential blackmail risk from China if Estonia doesn't ban Chinese technology in key sectors, such as solar inverters.

These inverters can be remotely switched off, putting critical infrastructure at risk. Rosin stressed the importance of preventing this scenario from becoming a reality in the future.

Rosin's comments also align with NATO chief Mark Rutte's statement on stepping up intelligence sharing and protecting infrastructure from sabotage by Russia and the PRC.

Russia has dismissed accusations of hybrid actions, while Beijing has denied allegations of espionage activities in Europe.

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