India can influence Putin on peace: Estonia FM Margus Tsahkna

Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has emphasised that India can influence Russian President Vladimir Putin for peace as the war in Ukraine enters its third year in 2025.

Speaking to WION’s Sidhant Sibal in Estonia’s capital Tallinn, the foreign minister said, “India has a position to be influence and to give the very straightforward messages to Mr Putin that the peace and not to be so aggressive, not change the borders using military force. This must be done”.

India has been engaging with both Russia and Ukraine amid the ongoing war and has called for ‘dialogue and diplomacy’. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Russia two times this year, first for a bilateral visit and then for the BRICS summit in Kazan. He also travelled to Kyiv and met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Estonian foreign minister spoke about his recent meeting with India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar in Bahrain. FM Tsahkna hoped EAM would visit his country next year and said that he had “asked for Indian participation in Estonia’s exercises about cyber defense”. Estonia is a leading nation when it comes to cybersecurity and hosts the Center of Excellence on Cyber Defence in Tallinn for both NATO and the eu-LISA.

Read the full interview here:

WION: India-Estonia relationship, how do you see it, particularly when it comes to areas like cyber, security and defence. 

Margus Tsahkna: Our relations are more practical than ever before, and I was in India this year for Raisina Dialogue. And also less than a week ago, we had a bilateral meeting with Indian foreign minister in Bahrain, and we discussed the cooperation on cyber security, digitalisation. And we have asked as well for Indian participate in our exercises about cyber defence. So these relations are very practical as well for our companies going to India and the investments from other side to Estonia. So these ties very active.

WION: And you expect the visit of the Indian foreign minister very soon.

Margus Tsahkna: I do expect that the Indian foreign minister should come to visit Estonia. We agreed that in 2025, and to open the Indian Embassy here, and also the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in our capital Tallinn, we have organised this. A very nice place for the statue and as a symbol of our relations.

WION: So now moving on to your region. You border Russia. How much has the war that started in 2022 has impacted your country, and how do you see India’s role in terms of helping make sure that there is less escalation and perhaps peace?

Margus Tsahkna: Of course, Estonia is a neighbouring country of Ukraine, we have been supportive for Ukraine, like 3.4 per cent of our GDP. But also, we understood that Russia has committed aggression already years ago, and Russia will remain aggressive country. Estonia is the member of NATO, member of European Union. We have US, British, and French troops on the ground, ready to act. So, I think that Russia has no plans to attack us directly, but we have witnessed different hybrid attacks and cyber-attacks, 24/7 from Russia. So, we know that Russia is a very aggressive country, Estonian and as well, Ukrainian, we want to have a just and long-lasting peace there. But I don’t see that Putin has changed the goal, and let’s hope that we will have this peace. And India, of course, as a huge democracy and economic power plays a great role there, of course, maybe more stronger steps to deal with Russia and also economically, not so actively cooperating. But of course, India has a position to be influence and to give the very straightforward messages to Mr Putin that the peace and not to be so aggressive, not change the borders using military force. This must be done.

WION: Before the inauguration of (US President-elect Donald) Trump’s presidency. Do you see the escalation increasing or decreasing? And do you see 2025, as a year of peace when it comes to resolving this war

Margus Tsahkna: Putin is using all the possibilities to push as heavily as possible on the ground, of course, on the battlefield, but at the same time, mainly, he is bombing and destroying the civilian infrastructure, energy systems and just the civil people, terrorised the Ukraine people to break them, but Ukrainians are not breaking down. And of course, Putin’s plan is to have the best position for negotiations, before that Trump is entering. I think that some kind of negotiations next year will be there. But the question is that whether we can change the Putin school to restore the Soviet empire and push the impact to Russia and give the solid working security guarantees for Ukraine and for Europe. Or we are not able to do that, so next year will be critical.

Watch: Russia-Ukraine War: Trump ‘Vehemently’ Opposed To Firing ATACMS Deep Into Russia

WION: So you’re a NATO member country now, essentially the NATO chief has said that we need to be in a wartime mindset. There have also been calls of increasing budgetary support by each NATO member country. How do you see these calls and what’s your view on the comments made by the NATO chief?

Margus Tsahkna: I totally agree with NATO secretary general position that we are in a war situation as we need to put as much defence investments in as we do it as we did during the Cold War time. And this is a realistic understanding of the situation. It’s not an escalation from NATO side. No, NATO is a peaceful organisation. We are for these nations, for the members, to secure the situation and peace, but we need to invest more. And from an Estonian perspective, it is nothing new. We are putting 3.4 per cent of GDP military investments every year, and on top of that, we have a 1.6 billion euros worth program for the next few years. So we expect as well that original member NATO states will invest at least 2.5 or up to three per cent of GDP.

WION: So my last question ends again on India relationship in terms of the two-way investment and trade. How do you see the situation as there is also talk, of course, of e-residency. Approximately 4000 Indians have become e-residents as well if you can talk about it, how helpful it has been for the people of the region and for India as well.

Margus Tsahkna: Estonia is like the perfect business environment. We have no bureaucracy. We have a brilliant tax system, and we have this e-residency program that you can be a part of this environment without becoming physically an Estonian resident. So you don’t have to come to Estonia to run your businesses in the Estonian environment , to pay taxes. Here have all these e-services online, open for your businesses. And also, Estonia is like the gateway to the European market. We are member of the European Union. So I’m very happy that more and more Indian businesses are finding a way to our environment and also having business in Estonia and with Europe.