Prime Ministers Of Estonia

"When they are saying that it is weaponised by Hamas, and only given to people that are close to Hamas, then the response would be [to] flood Gaza with humanitarian aid so that there would be no deficit and it can't be used. Like you say, it can, so we are also offering our help. We have the EUBAM Rafah border crossing mission. We are also ready to increase this, to help with the distribution of humanitarian aid, but we are not allowed to. So for me, it is an immense frustration that we can't really do anything. Of course, we will have a discussion about this agreement. I know what the end result is going to be, because I know the positions of the Member States. Even if we suspended this agreement, it wouldn't stop the killing, and that is the problem. That's really where the frustration comes, because we all see that this is untenable, the loss of life, the human suffering, and we really need to help them. We are, together with Arab countries, discussing what more we can do, but again we need our American friends on board and to understand that the situation is completely untenable."

"Europe is a peace project. You know, it was created so that we wouldn't have wars between the members of European Union, and we haven't had. And, of course, also to do things together, cooperate more. You know, coming from a country that joined the European Union 20, 20 years ago. Then, we were actually, you know, pushed by the Americans, you know, you will not get into NATO, but, but Europe, the European Union, is something that you should join because it's, it's a good project also for the transatlantic relations. So I was quite surprised to hear a comment like that."

"We have always been good allies. I mean, we have been working together and we have been friends and allies, what comes to the world in different parts of the world, what is happening. We have been cooperating, whether it comes to Ukraine, whether it comes to, also, Middle East. And we see- in the world, we see powers like Russia, North Korea, Iran, more covertly China, working together. And I think this is the moment where we have to work together as transatlantic partners."

"We are coordinating. And of course, the message is there are several layers. One is that the fight that Ukraine is having is not only about Ukraine sovereignty, but it's much, much broader. It's about freedom of the free world, really. It is about the world where international law applies and the world where might does not make right. It is clear that Russia attacked Ukraine. There is one aggressor and one victim. And we need to really make sure that Russia doesn't attack again. And for that, we need to concentrate our efforts. I mean putting politically and economically pressure on Russia to stop this war, but at the same time also help Ukraine to defend itself."

"I don't think that anybody wants the killing to stop more than the Ukrainians. And in order to achieve that, we should all put the pressure on Putin, because he can stop the killing by not bombing Ukraine and the Ukrainians so that they don't have to defend themselves. And that's why our plan, our policies, to really put the pressure on Russia. We shouldn't overestimate the power of Russia and underestimate our own power. We know that their economy is not doing well. I mean, their inflation is over 20%, their National Fund is almost completely depleted. They don't have the same revenues from gas and oil that they used to to fund the war machine. So actually, if we concentrate our efforts, we can put the pressure so that they would stop the war, not to offer them anything, you know, on a plate, in addition what they have already done."

"it does matter who is responsible, so who is accountable for this as well. And why it also matters is that we have the United Nations Charter where we have agreed how countries are, you know, interacting with each other. And it says very clearly that you can't attack sovereignty, territorial integrity of another country, and if you do, there are consequences. And why is it important? It is important for small countries in the world for whom this is the only thing that protects them. If we don't really defend this principle, then we're going to see all these developments that we don't want to see. Because all the countries who are afraid of their neighbors will want to go for nuclear weapons, because this is the only thing that protects them. It's not the international law anymore. And all the countries who have appetite for the neighbors' territory will want to have a nuclear weapon, because it is the only thing by- you know, threatening to use this weapon, you can have what you- what you want, because this is what Russia is doing."

"Well, yes, not so directly. It doesn't have a practical impact, but it- clearly, I mean, it is saying what kind of principles in the world we are supporting. And of course, we were co-sponsoring, together with the United States, the resolution to support Ukraine. And it was a surprise to us that U.S. suddenly changed the position. I must, you know, really point out that we had the resolution drafted together with the new administration, regarding the support for Ukraine. But when they met the Russians, something happened after that, because the behavior changed. So- so the question is, where do we go from here? Our will and- and wish is to work together with our transatlantic partners for the principles that United States has always stood for. I mean, I'm coming from the country that regained our independence in 1991. It was the time when, you know, Ronald Reagan was really pushing hard for, you know, fight for freedom, and- and we are so grateful for America for doing this. Because we got our independence and freedom back, and therefore also the prosperity and the well being of our people. So we are very grateful. And I'm not- and I don't want to- I don't want to see this- I don't want to let this go. I mean, that, America, you know, is- is not fighting for- for freedom and independence, and, you know, the principles, the basic principles, of the international law."

"When you grow up in the Soviet society under the communists you heard about the one man who is especially dangerous, especially crazy, and absolutely mad, and which would destroy all the human beings and the economies and so on, and this man was called Milton Friedman."

"My name is Mart Laar. I have been twice Prime Minister of Estonia, and I'm not an economist."

"The flat tax I got on my first meeting with Margaret Thatcher, who I admired very much and who was a great admirer of Milton Friedman. I met her first when I had been prime minister I think for some months and so on, and when I told her what I am planning to do, she looked at me with these big eyes and said “you are one brave young man.” And then a little bit introduced me on the realities of the Western world on which I was not very well informed. But I didn’t stop."

"Within my first meeting when I proposed to introduce the flat tax in Estonia they looked on me as I am a little bit crazy. And asked “do you know something on the economy?” and I answer “economically, no not so much.” But I think this is a great idea because it looks to work. And I didn’t know then that I would be the first one to see this, but I introduced it. I was 32, I was young and crazy, so I didn’t know what is possible and what's not, so I did impossible things."

"Someone who says something like that must have eaten some seeds; and not those kinds of seeds we grow in our fields! It might be helpful to put tinfoil in your hat!"

"The world even accepted Russia holding the 2018 FIFA World Cup after it annexed Crimea. What should have been a denouncement instead manifested in the EU doubling its dependence on Russian gas after the Crimea annexation."

"I cannot imagine that someone could go to Tõnismägi and in the darkness of the night, put the Bronze Soldier on the hook of the crane, and drive it away somewhere. This is not a solution acceptable for a constitutional state."