TALLINN, Estonia (Chatnewstv.com) — Estonia’s foreign minister on Monday called former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s recent claims about the origins of the war in Ukraine “shameless and false,” arguing that years of Russian imperialism and the West turning a blind eye are the true causes of the full-scale aggression.
Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna delivered a sharp rebuke to Merkel, whose government was often criticized for its Russia policy, including its reliance on Russian energy.
“The reason for Russia’s full-scale aggression is Putin’s inability to accept the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Western countries’ previous desire to negotiate with Putin and turn a blind eye to his actions,” Tsahkna said in a statement.
He asserted that Estonia and its neighbors had long recognized the threat posed by Moscow, but their warnings went unheeded.
“Our region sensed Russia’s true nature early on and was warned of the dangers emanating from Russia. However, the vast majority of the Western world preferred to ignore it,” Tsahkna said.
He pointed to several missed opportunities to counter the Kremlin, including Russian President Vladimir Putin’s anti-Western speech at the 2007 Munich Security Conference, the 2008 war in Georgia, and the 2014 annexation of Crimea.
“Instead, we saw constant desires to press the ‘reset’ button to restore relations, attempts to seek dialogue with Russia, and turn a blind eye to Moscow’s atrocities,” he added.
Tsahkna singled out Merkel’s government for what he called misjudging the cost of economic cooperation with Russia, exemplified by the Nord Stream gas pipeline. He also described the 2008 NATO decision in Bucharest to deny Ukraine and Georgia a path to membership as a “serious mistake.”
“All these mistakes made over the years gave Russia the impetus and courage to make a decision to unleash full-scale aggression in early 2022,” Tsahkna said.
Looking forward, the minister called for continued international pressure, military support for Ukraine, and tougher economic sanctions. He said Estonia is working toward a strong 19th E.U. sanctions package and the use of frozen Russian assets to help Kyiv.
Tsahkna contrasted Merkel’s policies with Germany’s current direction, praising the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz for taking “decisive steps to support Ukraine and strengthen its own defense capabilities.”
He concluded by quoting Merz: “For too long, we in Germany did not want to listen to the warnings of the Baltic states about Russia’s imperialist policies. We have realized this mistake — and there is no turning back from this understanding.”
