Estonia Calls on the West to “Tear Down the Wall of Restrictions Built Around Ukraine”

Estonian President Alar Karis has called on the West to lift the repeatedly discredited restrictions that allies have imposed on themselves in support of Ukraine, as they only reflect their fear, weakness and indecision, all of which fuels the aggressor, Politico reports.

The Estonian president recalled the time of hope after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the independence of a number of Eastern European countries.

‘Our hopes for a lasting peace and our belief in the impossibility of war in Europe have been dashed. Now it seems that hell has broken loose, and the devils are on the loose, as the evil shadows of the 20th century - ghouls embodying the longing for Stalin's secret pacts, spheres of influence and brute force instead of international law - have surfaced,’ Karis said.

In his opinion, in this difficult time, the West has drawn lines for itself that only exacerbate the problem.

‘In this geopolitical crisis - the biggest one in decades - we have to keep our heads up and be forward-thinking. Russia's war against Ukraine is black and white: Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim,’ the Estonian president said.

He adds that by making assumptions about Russia's intentions, Western countries have built their own wall. 

‘We drew a line, believing that crossing it would mean escalation. This is not true! Our fear is unjustified... The limits we have set for ourselves have been repeatedly discredited. They only reflect our fear, weakness and indecision - all of which fuels the aggressor, encourages him, increases his appetite,’ the Estonian president said, stressing that the restrictions are unfair, immoral and harmful.

Karis also recalls Ronald Reagan's speech in Berlin in 1987. Back then, the US president addressed the guardians of the Berlin Wall with a simple but powerful message: ‘Tear down this wall!’ And two and a half years later, on 9 November 1989, Berliners did just that.

A decade later, we are paradoxically building the wall ourselves, forcing Ukraine to fight its battle from behind it, limping along, facing new Russian attacks and suffering more and more casualties every day.

So, to paraphrase Reagan, Karis appealed to everyone: Let's tear down this wall of restrictions!