Estonian MEP on Trump: He's not a disaster

  • 2025-01-21
  • BNS/TBT Staff

TALLINN - Estonian Member of the European Parliament Riho Terras said in a social media post he believes that Donald Trump's presidency is not a disaster.

"In his speech, he focused on American domestic policy issues. Not a single word on the war in Ukraine or on Russia, nor on the Middle East or Syria. Whether this is good or bad for us, we cannot say yet. I believe he is not a disaster and the Trump threat is largely a product of fear-mongering by left-wing politicians and the media," said Terras, member of Estonia's opposition Isamaa party.

He said Trump can already be credited with the European Union having started to take the development of its own defense capabilities more seriously, and this is also reflected in the money that is being put into defense.

"Poland is setting an example in this -- five percent of GDP for defense -- who's to follow suit?" Terras said.

According to the MEP, a meeting with Putin will of course show disregard for the Russia policy pursued by the West throughout the entire war.

"Even for the noble purpose of peace, as Trump sees it himself. More weapons need to be sent to Ukrainian fighters, but not to seek reconciliation with criminals. Peace achieved at the cost of conceding Ukrainian territories would clearly be unjust. However, this will be decided by President Zelenskyy and his people, not by us," said Terras.

Terras described the idea of taking Greenland by military force, even if only in words, to be madness.

"However, if it were a trade deal arising from the free will of two partners, it would not be wrong. A business transaction like any other. Due to its location and resources, Greenland is strategically extremely valuable to the United States," he said.

Terras said it is clear that from Monday onwards, we are living in a different world.

"You can feel big changes in the air. What these changes will be and in what way they will guide the course of Estonian history -- we will live and see. In the meantime, I congratulate the 47th president of the United States on his historic election victory. We hope that our carefully built and well-functioning allied relationship will only strengthen over the next four years," the MEP added.