Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent actions show he’s willing to use force — something that should deeply worry Vladimir Putin.
Commenting on recent foreign policy developments on “Vikerhommik,” Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) described the seizure of a Russian-flagged tanker in the North Atlantic as unprecedented, given that a vessel sailing under one country’s flag was forcibly taken over by another country and all of it happened in neutral waters.
“But at the same time, we know that the cargo being transported was sanctioned and, frankly, the steps Trump has taken in recent days using force are, I believe, making Putin seriously worried,” said Tsahkna, also pointing out that Russia has yet to publicly respond to the incident.
“Previously, Putin has always played on the threat of force and everyone immediately backed down — ‘God forbid we do anything, in case it escalates.’ But this particular case was under close Russian attention — they even sent a submarine and warships,” Tsahkna explained.
In response to a journalist’s question about why the U.S. takeover of a Russian-flagged tanker triggered such a strong reaction and whether the ship might have carried Russian intelligence equipment or even officials, Tsahkna replied that he wouldn’t be surprised if all sorts of interesting things were found onboard. Details are currently unknown, but the foreign minister expressed hope that he might learn more at Thursday’s government security cabinet meeting.
“But it still shows that tensions are very high. And secondly, that Trump is capable of using force. He did it in Iran, he did it in Venezuela, he’s taken part in quite a few different operations and now this tanker case as well. This isn’t just some political game. Clearly there are special interests involved,” Tsahkna said.
Foreign Minister Tsahkna acknowledged that Trump’s policy toward Russia has been highly erratic and Estonia has been concerned about whether and under what conditions any deals might be made between the U.S. and Russia over Estonia’s head. In light of recent events, Tsahkna said the focus should now be on what Estonia itself can do: boosting its own defense capabilities, strengthening Europe and maintaining NATO alliance relations.
According to Tsahkna, Russia’s lack of response to the tanker incident can be interpreted in several ways. “First of all, Putin has been threatening and playing on Western fears for years. Every time the situation escalates, he comes up with some new weapon that carries a nuclear warhead, does some test and everyone gets scared — pardon the expression. But now he has clearly understood that he should fear Trump — Trump really does use force. And let’s be honest — in the past year, Russia has seriously lost face on the international stage,” said Tsahkna, pointing to Iran, Venezuela and North Korea as examples of countries that have been forced to admit that Russia offers little support as an ally.
“Secondly, I think Putin really is afraid of Trump. Obviously, Putin is in a significantly weaker position — he’s tied up in the war in Ukraine where he hasn’t been able to achieve a meaningful breakthrough on the battlefield. And from that perspective, it’s interesting to see what Russia’s actual reactions will be — whether it dares and is able to push back or whether it isn’t. As of now, it hasn’t been able to,” said Tsahkna.
US-Europe relationship becomes conditional
The foreign minister recalled that for years, there has been talk of the United States potentially ending the war in Ukraine from a position of strength.
“Russia needs to be subjected to brutal pressure. The Russian economy really isn’t that strong. If the United States were now to fully enforce the Graham sanctions package and, on top of that, Europe is set to introduce its 20th sanctions package in the near future, then I think Russia will face serious problems.”
Tsahkna pointed out that the Graham package also includes secondary sanctions, meaning sanctions against countries that purchase oil and gas products from Russia. “That includes China, India and Brazil. So we’ll see what happens next. I won’t believe it until it actually takes place,” the Estonian foreign minister said.
Tsahkna affirmed that the United States remains a strategically crucial partner for Estonia. “It is a very important military and security partner for us. We just have to understand that the U.S. relationship with Europe is no longer unconditional — it is conditional and the condition is that we must be stronger ourselves, we must contribute more and take more responsibility,” Tsahkna stressed, adding that during last year’s numerous visits to the U.S., he got the impression that Estonia and the Baltic states hold a special status there because they don’t just talk — they actually invest 5 percent in their own defense.
On the topic of the United States and Greenland, Tsahkna affirmed that Estonia’s clear position is that it absolutely does not accept territorial changes by force, whether they come from allies or non-allies.
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