President Kaljulaid: Estonia is not afraid of Russia

TALLINN, Feb 09, BNS - In spite of the increasing aggressiveness of Russia, Estonia is not afraid, Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid said in an interview to Financial Times (FT).

"If we look decades ago, we know that NATO allies contributed a lot of equipment close to the border of the Soviet Union. It beats me now why it should be seen differently," Kaljulaid said, referring to NATO battle groups arriving in the Baltic countries this year.

According to Kaljulaid Estonia does not see itself as a consumer but rather as an equal ally, being one of the few countries to meet NATO's target for military spending. "It proves to me that there is no need for us to be afraid," she said.

"I don't want to sound like I'm a special type of Russia hater," Kaljulaid said. "There are very few heads of state in Europe that would not like to have very good relations with Russia. But the other side is what it is: it is unpredictable and doesn't respect its obligations," she added.

According to Kaljuleid she has nothing against it if U.S. President Donald Trump would manage to improve relations with Russia, but it should not come at the expense of other, smaller countries.