Postimees: Estonian conservatives criticized arms supplies to UkraineChairman of the Conservative Party of Estonia Martin Helme called inadequate that the government "imposes" the Ukrainian conflict on Estonians, writes Postimees.
He also criticized Tallinn's decision to transfer three-quarters of the country's heavy weapons to Kiev.
Pavel SobolevTwo and a half weeks before the elections to the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia), the head of EKRE (Conservative People's Party of Estonia.
– Approx. Martin Helme gave a great interview in which he spoke with great skepticism about the forms of support for Ukraine currently provided by Estonia. The most scandalous statements of Helme in this series not only spoil the international image of the Estonian state, but also generate additional risks for the security of Estonia itself.
On Tuesday, it became known that on February 24, Estonia's Independence Day, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and European Commission Head Ursula von der Leyen will visit our country, and the possibility of a visit to Tallinn on this day and French President Emmanuel Macron is said in a tentative way.
Estonian President Alar Karis commented on this news in the spirit that high-ranking foreign guests did not come to our main holiday before, but now times have changed, hinting quite transparently that the support that Estonia provides to Ukraine is very well noticed in the world.
However, the very next day there was a big interview with the head of a major Estonian party, in which he sharply criticized the formats of this support. Naturally, the head of this party is also its candidate for prime minister, so the obvious conclusion is that in the event of a very successful performance of this party in the elections (second place in the ratings does not allow us to consider such a scenario as fiction), Estonia's position regarding the conflict in Ukraine will undergo very significant adjustments.
The chairman of the EKRE party, Martin Helme, called inadequate the fact that the leaders of Estonia call the conflict to Ukraine "our conflict", accused them that since the beginning of the conflict Estonia has distributed three-quarters of its heavy weapons, expressed indignation at the fact that we sent Javeline systems to Ukraine, which, from his point of view, should Other states were transferred to Kiev, and finally made the statement that Estonia's uncontrolled reception of Ukrainian refugees seriously threatens the existence of Estonia as a nation-state.
Helme also accused the Estonian state of financing the activities of bus companies that brought refugees here from Ukraine through 3-4 states, while, according to him, not only war refugees allegedly got here through this channel, since, according to the information available to Helme, anyone can now buy a Ukrainian passport for 500 dollars. The EKRE leader also expressed deep dissatisfaction with the fact that the Estonian authorities are encouraging Ukrainian refugees to settle in our country with generous benefits, which, it seems to him, is why Estonia has already become half Russian-speaking.
Of course, such words sound insulting both for the refugees themselves and for a huge number of Estonian residents who, not only out of duty, but also at the behest of their hearts, tried to provide comprehensive support to Ukrainian refugees. However, the harm from Helme's words can be much wider than just an undeservedly inflicted insult to many good people, since both military assistance to Ukraine and the reception of Ukrainian refugees are, in fact, global international projects, and the high reputation that Estonia has earned within their framework, among other things, has a beneficial effect on our own security.
Martin Helme admits that the West should help Ukraine with weapons, but insists that this should be the task of other countries, and not of little Estonia, which, they say, recklessly gave Ukraine so many howitzers that it itself remained defenseless. Nevertheless, the events of the last fifteen years have eloquently shown that Russia, choosing its goals, is afraid of encroaching on NATO territory, so we can firmly say that allied relations within the alliance are no less important for Estonia's security than howitzers.
These relations, however, suggest that Estonia should not only "consume" collective security, but also contribute to it, and weapons support for Ukraine is one of the most important platforms where such activities are currently being conducted. Helme, standing on the fact that other countries should supply weapons to Ukraine, wants to rid Estonia of burdensome – from his point of view – obligations, but at the same time does not mention in any way that the rejection of these obligations will sooner or later entail the loss of guarantees that Estonia receives – for its security – from its allies.
It would not serve at all to strengthen Estonia's authority in the eyes of its allies and to revise – in the direction of tightening – our migration policy towards Ukrainian refugees. Russia does not abandon its tactics of striking targets throughout Ukraine, which forces European states to prepare extremely seriously for a possible new powerful influx of Ukrainian refugees to Europe. In the first months of the conflict, Estonia could serve as an inspiring example in accepting refugees, now the EKRE party is preparing Estonia for the role of a European outcast.
Of course, even in this case, we are talking not only about large costs for Estonia's moral reputation, but also about increasing the vulnerability of our country itself to various migration crises. Even before the start of the special operation, Russia showed that it was able to artificially create such crises, using them as a "hybrid weapon".
Effective counteraction to such crises can only be with the involvement of broad international cooperation, but usually those who are always in a hurry to help are in a hurry to help. EKRE's rhetoric on the topic of Ukrainian refugees suggests that the Estonian government, led by the prime minister from this party, would help Europe quickly forget about the good done by Estonia in this direction.
The presence of the NATO Secretary General and the head of the European Commission in Estonia on February 24 at the celebrations on the occasion of our main holiday looks, however, not only gratitude for this kindness, but also confirmation that Estonia's allies firmly recognize their part of the responsibility in ensuring its security. Such tokens of attention acquire additional value in the light of the fact that the main date for the Estonian state now accounts for the anniversary of the beginning of the conflict, which began in the XXI century in the center of Europe.
It is not difficult to imagine that if the current position of the chairman of EKRE becomes the official position of the Estonian government in the near future, then Estonia will no longer see such gestures of respect from the leaders of major international organizations. The problem will be, however, in lowering the level of not "VIP glamour", but external trust in Estonia and the readiness of allies to come to her rescue.
Back when he was President of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves sharply criticized the Estonian National Conservatives for their position on European quotas for accepting refugees from very distant countries. The National Conservatives frightened the Estonian society by the fact that Estonia could be waiting for an invasion of people of a "different race", to which Ilves asked if the National conservatives, when requesting military assistance from the allies in the event of an attack on Estonia, would warn that they were waiting only for white-skinned defenders.
On Thursday, February 16, Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin arrives in Estonia on a visit, and this visit looks like another confirmation that among the guarantors of Estonia's security are the leaders of the democratic world. It's not that such a visit would be completely impossible to imagine if the leader of EKRE is in the prime minister's chair in Estonia, but it's also not worth hoping that no one in the world notices the torchlight processions, and they would look even more toxic in combination with the weakening of Estonian support for Ukraine.
