The head of state acknowledged that the security environment has become increasingly tense, and war is becoming more and more tangible in Europe and the world. “Compared to our last meeting, the signs of war have come closer to us,” said President Karis, referring to the incidents in European airspace and the region as a whole in recent months. “Drones in our airspace, one of which was successfully shot down – many thanks to Romanian fighters for this –, a balloon with contraband that reached our skies and went astray, drone incidents in Latvia and Lithuania, new offensive rhetoric of the Russians at the UN Security Council, and finally a Russian drone that flew into a house in Romania.”
President Karis stressed that Europe must be prepared for increasingly sophisticated hostile influence operations. “We must be better prepared,” said the head of state. “Threats can arise without any warning and manifest in different ways, both as individual and as consequential events.” He talked about how the weaponisation of energy issues or migration phenomena, cyber threats, the disruption or destruction of critical infrastructure, interference in elections and various types of targeted information operations can destabilise societies and make us weaker in responding to more serious attacks.
President Karis stressed the need to be better prepared for hostile interference. “We must increase the resilience of society, raise preparedness and target our actions to be better prepared across Europe and the wider democratic world,” he said, welcoming the steps the European Union is taking to strengthen its security and defence capabilities.
According to President Karis, Russia has not abandoned its objectives in Ukraine and will keep its brutal war machine running. “Although we’ve recently seen large-scale Russian air strikes on Ukrainian cities, we can say that we’re seeing a weakening of their resolve on the battlefield and that sustaining their troops has become more difficult year by year,” said President Karis. “This shows that Ukraine’s fighting spirit is holding out, and that Western sanctions are exerting increasing pressure on Russia’s economy and political will,” he added.
“If we want Russia to retreat to its borders and stop posing a direct threat to us, perhaps even change its autocratic style of governance, we must continue with sanctions, especially against the Russian energy sector, and support the actions of Ukrainians on the front lines and in keeping their country and society together,” said the head of state.
He also warned against attempts to normalise Russia’s involvement in international life. “Russians are creeping back into international sports and culture, using soft power to defuse negative attitudes towards themselves. We shouldn’t allow this. Russians must feel and bear responsibility for the actions of their leaders.”
Speaking about possible peace talks, President Karis stressed that Europe should formulate a common position on the principles on which to go to the negotiating table even before the end of hostilities. “What could our common approach entail? For example, we shouldn’t consider the end of hostilities as a reason to forget the fact that Russia was the initiator and the cause of the war, and must be held accountable. This comes with accountability for war crimes and the obligation to compensate for the damage caused by them.”
“Also, the war must not end under conditions that dilute or nullify the agreed principles of international law, in particular the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty of states," said the head of state.
Speaking about the future of European security, President Karis stressed the importance of transatlantic cooperation. “We, Europeans and Americans, are in this world together,” he said. “Acting separately, we’re much weaker in defending our interests and our way of life than we are when we join our forces.” The head of state added that it is in the common interest of all parties to strengthen the Euro-Atlantic security architecture and increase Europe’s defence capabilities.
Photos: Raigo Pajula/Office of the President of the Republic https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCVARP
