Estonian Prime Minister Urges Allies to Eliminate 'Gray Zones' in Europe
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has urged allies to intensify efforts to eliminate the so-called 'gray zones'—territories between the West and Russia where Moscow's actions pose a threat to Europe's security. She made these remarks in an interview with Voice of America.
Kallas added that the European Commission is currently working on a European decision to freeze Russia's assets in Europe and use these funds for the recovery of Ukraine. Estonia's government has also prepared legislation to address this issue.
"At the International Criminal Court in The Hague, there is a registry documenting all the losses Russia inflicts on Ukraine and their value. Simultaneously, we have assets that are frozen or under sanctions, and we know the value of these assets. Russia has legitimate claims to these assets, and Ukraine has legitimate claims to Russia. Therefore, we settle these claims so that we can use these assets for the benefit of Ukraine. After the war ends, and Russia pays all reparations to Ukraine, if there is anything left, then we can return it," stated Kaja Kallas.
According to her, Europe has accelerated assistance to Ukraine, and when considering the military aid provided now, plus future commitments, Europe's aid, in absolute terms, surpasses that of the United States.
The combined GDP of Europe is seven times larger than that of Russia, which has lost a third of its budget due to sanctions. The defence budget of the Ramstein coalition is 13 times larger than that of Russia. Therefore, the EU can withstand this situation.
"For the Western world, much more is at stake than Russia's seizure of its neighbour's territory. Criminals worldwide are currently observing how the war in Ukraine will end, and if they see that aggression pays off, the world will witness many more conflicts," warned the Estonian Prime Minister.
Recall that the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) recently released an investigation titled 'Cyprus Confidential.' Through the largest leak of financial data in Cyprus's history, the role of this EU state in managing Russian wealth under sanctions was revealed. In particular, the leading roles of chief accountants and other consultants from PwC Cyprus in managing transactions during Russia's attack on Ukraine were identified in millions of files provided by an anonymous source to the ICIJ.
According to information, Russian oligarchs have massively transferred their assets to Cyprus after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.