My grandchildren will live in peace because our neighbor knows that we take our security seriously.
Kristen Mihal, the Prime Minister of Estonia, a guest on the Euronews morning program, explained why Moscow cannot afford to make peace in Ukraine. In his opinion, dictators are similar to cyclists: they fall when they stop pedaling the 'war bike'.
Putin cannot stop the war in Ukraine, or he will fall - just like a cyclist cannot stop. This metaphor was presented by Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Mihal on the morning program 'Europe Today'. 'Being a dictator is like riding a bicycle; if you stop, you will fall,' he stated. 'The same goes for Vladimir Putin. So, I always remind my colleagues in Europe that Putin currently has more soldiers under arms than at the beginning of the war. If we stop right now, if he stops right now from killing women and children in Ukraine, what will he do with all these guys?'
Mihal warned that a premature peace without solid security guarantees could lead to instability not only within Russia but throughout Europe. His comments came at a time when the EU's plan to provide Kyiv with 90 billion euros in military loans is still blocked by Hungary.
The Estonian Prime Minister stated that Viktor Orban's position on this issue is unclear to leaders of other EU member states, but despite Budapest's veto, Kyiv will receive the promised funds. 'We made a decision; they (Hungary and Slovakia - ed.) decided to refuse, but we still made our decision,' he reminded, expressing confidence that EU leadership will find ways to overcome the crisis and timely provide funding to Ukraine.
'My grandchildren will live in peace because our neighbor knows that we take our security seriously.' Kristen Mihal on the air of the program 'Europe Today'.
Commenting on the strained relations between the EU and the US with Trump's re-election, Mihal confirmed that there are problems but supported Washington's idea of transferring greater responsibility for its own defense to Europe. 'Europe needs to invest more in security,' the Euronews guest stated. 'And we understand this.' This year, according to him, Estonia is spending 5.4% of its GDP on defense, which is one of the highest rates in NATO.
'My grandchildren will live in peace because our neighbor knows that we take our security seriously,' Mihal said. According to his forecasts, if the continent consistently fulfills its defense commitments, 'in five, seven, ten years, life will be better.'
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