people-from-tallinn

"Nobody will meet the the Russian Army in Ukrain with bread, salt and flowers."

"Don't engage in sabre-rattling with missiles in Finland's direction. It actually looks quite amusing. After all, the main deficiency of our military-political position is that, in a way, we are in full geopolitical isolation and that, however much we would hate to admit this, virtually the entire world is against us. And it's that situation that we need to get out of."

"The main thing for our (military) business it's always to maintain a sense of military-political realism. If you go beyond it, then sooner or later the reality of history will hit you so hard that you'll regret it."

"The level of any army's professionalism is determined not by the number of those recruited for professional service but by the level of the personnel's training, and its morale and readiness to shed blood for the homeland."

"The situation in this regard for us will frankly get worse."

"The situation from the overall strategic position is that the Ukrainian armed forces are able to arm a million people."

"We shouldn't take information tranquilizers. Because sometimes information is spread about some moral and psychological breakdown in the Ukrainian armed forces, which are allegedly on the verge of some kind of crisis in moral and so on. All of that, to put it mildly, is false."

"Overexcited Russian experts should forget their hate fantasies."

"There will be no blitzkrieg in Ukraine."

"The Russian army can encounter far more than just Stalingrad or Grozny in the course of a war with Ukraine."

"Of course, today the Armed Forces of Ukraine are significantly inferior to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in terms of combat and operational capabilities. But even this army should not be taken lightly."

"One should not forget that Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile crews inflicted shocking casualties on the Russian Air Force in the 2008 Georgian war."

"The Russian arsenal is absolutely insufficient to eradicate such a state from the face of the earth."

"When one aggression pays off, it's an incentive to commit others."

"Defense is not escalation."

"Russia wants to see the US and Europe divided. Let’s not give them that."

"There is no table where Russia and Ukraine are sitting right now. It’s a shuttle diplomacy."

"Of course for any deal to work you need Europeans around the table to agree to the deal. Because the implementation of the deal needs to be in the hands of Europe."

"It’s really good to see how these things are going. Trump was clear that aid to Ukraine was not discussed. Putin said it was discussed. I’d rather trust Trump on this than President Putin."

"In order for the ceasefire to work there has to be deterrence. And if all guards are down, I mean Putin has shown this before, hes not keeping to the ceasefires. And if he wants the guards to be down on the Ukrainian side, then he actually achieves what he wants, and I am absolutely certain he will continue."

"We need to do more for our defence. We also need to do more for Ukraine so that the stronger they are on the battlefield, the stronger they are on the negotiation table."

"The stronger we are the less likely war is."

"Mark Rutte is speaking Trump, I think he’s speaking the language that President Trump definitely understands and he needs to get this across,I think it very important that everyone is doing this 5% and agreeing to this."

"when member states agreed to spend more on defence, that also means that they have more means to help Ukraine."

"When it comes to Europe we have agreed that we will support Ukraine militarily, and we will also put more pressure on Russia so that they would also want peace in order end this war so it is very clear for us."

"so if we don’t push back aggression in one place, it just is a call to use aggression elsewhere."

"I don’t see into Putin’s mind but looking back how he has been working, he understands strength, If we invest more into defence, we are stronger so it doesn’t provoke him."

"Weakness provokes him: if he thinks that he’s stronger, he can take up this war, then he will take up war, but if he sees that we are strong, then he doesn’t look our way, and that’s what we are doing."

"Of course, Israel has the right to self-defense – that is very clear"

"But the recent actions go beyond self-defense. There is too much human suffering."

"I hear what the Israeli government is saying: that humanitarian aid has also been weaponized, But if Gaza were truly flooded with humanitarian aid, there would be no shortage, which means no one could weaponize it."

"It is clear that we want good relations with Israel, At the same time, we see steps the Israeli government is taking that really raise questions. That’s why I think it’s important to have this open and frank dialogue, so we can address these issues with our Israeli counterparts, which we are constantly doing."

"What everybody wants to signal is that we are, of course, supporting Israel’s security. But at the same time, these countries – and everyone, really – are not endorsing all the measures being carried out by the Israeli government."

"If the review says that the international humanitarian law has been breached, then of course we have different options, different options from the full suspension of the association agreement to, you know, different elements that could be done."

"If people have opportunities – if they can earn a livelihood – then there’s a chance they won’t be radicalized, and chaos in Syria can be avoided."

"Of course, we have concerns about the new leadership in Syria, That is very clear. We have chosen this path of easing sanctions with the understanding that we can always reinstate them if we do not see progress in the right direction."

"We see no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza – that is very, very clear. And we also hope that the suffering of the people in Gaza will end, that humanitarian aid will reach them, and that both parties will be able to foster prosperity for the people moving forward."

"The EU accession process must not be held hostage by such a conflict, We aim to avoid such tensions, but the EU will continue to enlarge whether or not this conflict is resolved."

"I don't think we're alone. Actually what I've seen is a lot of countries from around the world at our door, wanting to co-operate, finding new ways to do that. Why is this so? Because, you know, something that has been maybe a weakness because we are so predictable and so boring, has become actually our strength. There is a lot of unpredictability in the world, so we can build on that strength. Of course, we need to co-operate around the world with the countries which are not perfect democracies; if we only choose the countries that are perfect democracies we can't also work with some countries that are within the European Union, but that's another topic. It's clear that we need to find a way to actually promote the values that we also stand for, because people really see that it brings benefits. It brings prosperity and the well-being of people."

"I can tell you that one of those countries wanted to send the military to march there [in Moscow]. Can you imagine? This is the biggest threat that Europe has: Russia. You want to join the EU, and then you send your military to march together with the forces that are actually attacking European security? How can you then really defend this and say that we want to take this military enemy within? It would be a complete no-go for many European countries, and it is hard. Show me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are. We have 27 Member States in Europe, and I can already tell you 10 [Member States] for whom this is highly problematic."

"Russia's widespread aggression (against Ukraine) is a threat to the entire world and to all NATO countries, and NATO consultations on strengthening the security of the Allies must be initiated to implement additional measures for ensuring the defense of NATO Allies. The most effective response to Russia's aggression is unity. I assure all the people of Estonia that there is no direct military threat to Estonia and that the situation in Estonia and at our external border is calm."

"If people admire dictators, there is no moral obstacle to becoming one or submitting to one. If people’s minds and eyes are shut before past atrocities, there are no limits to committing new ones in the future."

"When we look at Russia we see darkness – fear is keeping its society together. And we see thousands fleeing the country. We know this fear. Fear of secret police who seize people in the middle of the night or arrest them only for holding up placards in public squares, fear of the constant distrust, fear to express your opinion, fear of the atrocities that might follow. Tens of thousands of Estonians fled this same tyranny after World War Two."

"Gas might be expensive, but freedom is priceless."

"What is our neighbor’s problem today will be our problem tomorrow. We are in danger, when our neighbor’s house is on fire."

"If we do everything to help Ukraine, there will be no 11-year-olds for whom the air of freedom is something they only experience from a distance."

"Neutrality is not a worldview, neutrality is indifference."

"If someone talks about Russia and Ukraine agreeing on a peace settlement and giving away some territory, I explain that after World War II, your side of the Iron Curtain had peace, which meant that you built up your countries and the prosperity of your peoples. On our side of the Iron Curtain, we had mass deportations, killings, and our culture and language were suppressed. So even if there is some kind of an agreement, without accountability it doesn’t mean that the human suffering will stop."

"It is very difficult to innovate by command. Suppressive fear and the need to fulfill artificial plans drown out sustainability and competitiveness. Freedom is worth fighting for because it generates prosperity and security."

"When they annexed Crimea, it was the “little green men.” They were embarrassed that it's Russian soldiers. They tried to hide it, they were afraid of the Western reaction. Because the Western reaction was weak at the time, they made a mental note that they can do this because nothing happens. So if they can attack Ukraine, get away with no punishment, no accountability, then the next step could be NATO."