Estonian PM warns against 'any steps towards Russia'

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Europe and the US should be "very careful" not to make concessions to Russia, Estonia's prime minister told AFP on Friday, insisting that Moscow alone can de-escalate the situation.

Kaja Kallas, whose country hosts a NATO multinational battalion, also said she had been holding talks to strengthen NATO's presence in Estonia as a deterrent amid soaring tensions over Ukraine.

The Estonian leader, a former MEP who came to power last year, said Russia was following a Soviet approach of making ultimatums in the hope of being offered some concessions by the West.

"That is something that we should definitely be very careful of, that we don't make any steps towards Russia or offer them anything that they didn't have before," she said in an interview.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/estonian-pm-warns-against-any-steps-towards-russia/ar-AATfgT5

[thucythucy]

1. Putin's bullying has the potential to backfire on him

in significant ways.

It will pull the Baltic States into further reliance on NATO and the west, perhaps Poland as well. And I doubt very many people in Romania would prefer to see a Russian military presence returning anywhere near its border.

And it will also increase public support in Sweden and Finland for closer ties with NATO, if not full NATO membership.

Finland as a NATO member means Russia will have several hundred miles of additional frontier with the alliance, some of it quite close to St. Petersburg.

Meanwhile, any alliance he enters into with China will prove temporary, and mostly illusion. China and Russia have been in shooting wars before, and a Russia tied down in the west won't do anything to prevent such an event in the future.

[marie999]

2. Ukraine needs to stay out of NATO.

If Putin believes Ukraine is about to join NATO Russia and Belarus will invade Ukraine. Russia and Belarus will not accept a 3,322-mile border with NATO. If Russia and Belarus invade Ukraine and the U.S. uses its military to stop them, WWIII. For the last 60+ years, one big reason we have not had WWIII is the U.S. and Russia have been careful to only have proxy wars. The best thing now is for Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine to find a diplomatic solution and for NATO and especially the U.S. to stay out of it.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

3. Ukraine is not joining NATO

[marie999]

4. Fine, then NATO should sign a treaty with Russia

that it will no longer expand to countries that border Russia and Belarus.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

5. '''