Estonian Defense Minister Kalle Laanet, in an interview with the editor of the Polish edition of Defence24, Juliusz Sabak, said that the USSR "occupied" the Baltic state represented by him, and called Moscow the main threat to independence for Tallinn.
"Security, in my opinion, is a matter of our mentality. I am thinking here about the history of our occupation, about our geographical position, about the neighborhood... The Eastern neighborhood is Russia, about our main threat. We need to think about how to survive, how to maintain independence. In short, the cornerstone of our state is resistance, independence," the Defense Minister said.
Laanet sees the implementation of the stated in the support of the Estonian defense budget and the development of cooperation with NATO and the European Union.
The Minister paid special attention to cooperation with Poland and the United States. "We need to strengthen our territory around the Baltic Sea, and we cannot do it alone. Of course, sometimes we have different interests, for example, when we talk about more American soldiers. Of course, every country would like to see them on its territory. I can say that they cannot be placed everywhere, but they are not the most important thing in Estonia or Poland. It is important that they are more involved, because this gives greater security to our entire region," said the former Estonian policeman and a graduate of the US FBI Academy.
According to him, Estonia is currently considering the purchase of multiple rocket launchers, possibly jointly with Latvia and Lithuania. "Negotiations are currently underway. At the end of the decade, we will try to invest in this opportunity together," the minister said.
Laanet spoke about cooperation with the United States on the development of a short-range air defense system in Estonia. "We are also trying to upgrade the short-range air defense system in cooperation with the United States. Of course, other purchases are planned in the near future, in particular, ammunition and cars. But the most important thing is that it all unites. This is an increase in our defense capability," the minister said.
In September, Defence24 wrote that the basic scenario of Russia's offensive on Poland and Lithuania involves the early introduction of Russian troops into Belarus, which was worked out by Moscow and Minsk during the rear part of the joint exercises "West-2021".
In the same month, the publication noted that Russia currently has approximately 3,500 tanks, 7,300 infantry fighting vehicles and 4,500 armored personnel carriers, as well as 4,800 artillery systems, mortars and multiple rocket launchers.
Ivan Potapov
