“We must not forget the Ukrainians nor the war in Ukraine nor the Russian danger.” This is the message that Prime Minister Kaja Kallas will bring on Wednesday October 18 in Paris, during a lunch at the Élysée with the President of the Republic, followed by a speech by the Estonian during the exceptional conference organized to celebrate the 70 years of L’Express, in Paris. Open to the public and entitled “It was good yesterday, it will be better tomorrow”, this event will take place at the Maison de la Radio. Other prestigious guests will speak on stage, notably Emmanuel Macron and the American intellectual Francis Fukuyama who will debate together.
A member of NATO since 2004, Estonia has established itself in the international debate as one of the leading countries in the resistance to Russian aggression in Ukraine thanks to Kaja Kallas, who has governed since 2021. The center leader right does not want the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel on October 7 to overshadow the subject of the war in Ukraine. In March, his initiative to purchase 1 million shells jointly with EU countries caused a stir. It was a question of guaranteeing the sector’s industry lasting economic prospects and sustainably supporting the war effort in order to – to use the words of Joe Biden – “defend freedom today, tomorrow and for as long as it will be necessary.”
© / The Express
In the north of the continent, Estonia (1.3 million inhabitants) has been a point of contact with the Russian Empire for centuries. Like the Finns, the Poles or the Ukrainians, the compatriots of Kaja Kallas, whose civilization is thousands of years old, are well placed to know the danger represented by their neighbor. For fifty years, from 1941 to 1991, their republic was occupied by the Soviet Union (the last troops left Tallinn in 1994). During this period, a fifth of the population was murdered or deported.
“We must continue to support Kiev to help it achieve victory over the aggressor,” Kallas explained to L’Express in June. “Russia is a threat and will remain so for a long time. With our allies, we must strengthen our deterrence and our common defense within NATO.” The head of government, whose own mother was deported to Siberia in the 1940s, continues: “Ten years ago, all the allies promised to increase their defense investments by up to 2% of GDP. A decade more later, only a handful of countries kept their word: the United States, the United Kingdom, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland. Worse, in Europe, military spending overall decreased by 11.6% in 2022 compared to the previous year. And this, while the war was already upon us!”
Estonia, for its part, devotes 3% of its national budget to its defense, including 1% in the form of direct aid to Ukraine. A record in Europe. “Some allies seem to think that the Russian problem will disappear on its own after a certain time. They are wrong. Faced with Russia, Europeans must rearm,” insists the Prime Minister of the small Baltic who also provides crucial aid in matters cyber defense, one of its areas of excellence.
“It was good yesterday, it will be better tomorrow” – For its 70th anniversary, L’Express invites you on October 18 to the Radio France Auditorium for an exceptional conference under the sign of commitment and optimism. With in particular a debate between the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron and Professor Francis Fukuyama. To register, Click here. Hurry, places are limited!