As America’s support for Ukraine’s aid continues to upset Americans, former Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid wants to remind Americans what is at stake.
Estonia, a country in Northern Europe bordered by the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland, is slightly larger than Denmark and has a coastline with 1,521 islands.
During a recent interview with Fox News Digital at his country’s embassy in Washington, D.C., Kaljulaid described what’s happening around the world as a “tectonic shift,” adding, “There’s a freedom-loving world out there. “And then there are others – the new axis of evil – China, Iran, North Korea, Russia leading that coalition.”
“Ukraine, with Its brave actions have given us the opportunity to achieve the first victory in this fight and I think we should not miss it,” he said.
He argues that the costs of securing the so-called “freedom-loving world” are relatively low.
“It is very important to understand that Ukrainians are dying, but we, the West, have not spent anything even close to what we should normally spend to win the war. We are at a rate of 0.1% of GDP. And frankly, if we can spend 0.5, Ukraine will win, and it will be the first time in history where a major conflict can actually be won with so few resources.”
His visit came on the heels of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the US, which caused a stir among Republicans when he visited Pennsylvania – a swing state – with only Democratic lawmakers and called Senator JD Vance “too radical”.
Ukrainian stronghold Vuhladar fell to the Russian offensive
Six US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter aircraft arrive at Umri Air Base, Estonia on January 26, 2022. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Megan Beatty)
He came here to seek blessings to use long-range missiles provided by the US to strike deep inside Russian territory. So far, their pleas have gone unanswered. The Biden administration fears provoking nuclear-armed Russia and escalating US involvement in the war.
“I think the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast has shown us that Russian threats (of escalation) mean nothing,” Kaljulaid said.
In August, Ukrainian troops made a risky move, invading Kursk Oblast and occupying Russian territory, using their best tanks in the offensive, which led to Russian capture of several key villages along the southern and eastern front lines. And abandoned towns.
Kaljulaid said that supports Zelensky Requests to lift the ban on ATACM, pointing out that Ukraine already uses these weapons for attacks in Crimea, which Russia views as its territory.
Lithuanian foreign minister warns Russia ‘could cause great harm to its neighbours’
“You could say, I mean, paradoxically, there’s nothing new in this.”
“Putin is not playing the old Cold War game, where one side would escalate, then the other side would escalate, and then everyone would sit down and negotiate again to lower the level. I mean, Putin’s The regime is a terrorist regime.”
She added: “It doesn’t follow any rules. All bridges have been burned. So when they decide it’s appropriate to escalate, they will decide anyway, but we must do the right thing and avoid escalating tensions.” Don’t worry.”
University of Maryland serious issues poll The poll, conducted in July and August, found that 48% of Americans say the US should support Ukraine in its fight against Russian interference “as long as it takes.” Twenty-nine percent said support should last 1–2 years and another 11% thought it should last 2–5 years.
The United States has spent approximately $175 billion to aid the war in Ukraine, of which $106 billion went directly to the Ukrainian government. The rest funded US activities related to the war and other affected countries in the region.
“This is about a third of the money that has been wasted on the COVID pandemic (in the US).”
A view of Tallin, Estonia on January 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
“If we compare it to our economic strength in the free world, we haven’t done that much,” Kaljulaid said.
“The Europeans are doing even more. And it’s also a common mistake to think that Europe is not doing its part. Europe is doing more than us right now, and I would really like to have a healthy competition over who does more. “?
The US has given the most money to Ukraine since the war began, followed by Germany, Britain, Japan and Canada. As a percentage of their GDP, Denmark, Estonia and Lithuania topped the rankingsWith 1.8, 1.7, and 1.4% respectively.
Kaljulaid declined to say whether relations would become more difficult under Trump’s second presidency – Trump has spoken out against aid to Ukraine and claimed he could negotiate peace with Zelensky and Putin. .
Click here to get the Fox News app
In fact, his view was optimistic that Trump could come to support Eastern Europe if elected for a second term, as he said he did in his first term.
“There was a pretty big presence in Eastern Europe. Trump visited Poland, (former Vice President) Mike Pence visited Tallin (the capital of Estonia).”
He noted Trump’s work on the Three Seas Initiative and actions to end chemical weapons attacks on Syrian civilians.
“It was no ordinary thing. It was quite a courageous thing, and it was exactly what you would expect from the Republican foreign policy of the United States – to defend the free world.”
