President Karis says the heads of state taking part in the meeting agree that they will be taking the same message to NATO’s Madrid summit: that collective defence must be at the heart of the alliance’s actions and that the decision must be taken to boost the defence position on its eastern flank.
“The strategic concept of NATO must be forward-looking and based on a realistic assessment of the security situation,” President Karis advised. “We need more robust military deterrence on the alliance’s eastern flank. Russia continues to have a stronger military position in the Baltic Sea region than NATO, whose presence should encompass more allied forces on the ground, more equipment that is permanently in place and division-level management.”
President Karis cautioned that the only thing which deters Russia is credible military force. “That is what we need right now,” he said, “because Russia’s strategic goals have not changed.”
The Estonian head of state added that support for Ukraine must also be decisively increased. “If they are to win the war, Ukraine needs attack weapons,” he noted. “A lot of countries have already given a lot of help, but the way the war is progressing suggests that what has been provided so far will not be enough for Ukraine to win. The country needs more firepower and more long-range weaponry.”
President Karis says that in Madrid, NATO must confirm that its open-door policy remains in force and that both Finland and Sweden can commence the accession process. “I truly hope the differences of opinion regarding Finnish and Swedish accession to the alliance will be resolved as quickly as possible,” he said. “It would be a strong sign of the alliance’s unity and would give hope to other candidate countries as well.”
While in Bucharest, President Karis held a meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev to discuss the expansion of the European Union, the development of bilateral cooperation between Estonia and Bulgaria and e-governance.
The B9 leaders also adopted a joint declaration in the Romanian capital (in English).
