“Germany must ramp up arms aid. War is expensive after all"

WORLD: Mr. Reinsalu, your government is in favor of a visa freeze for Russian citizens who want to travel to the EU. However, Europeans are divided on the matter. Do you think that an entry ban will still be implemented after the foreign ministers' meeting?

Urmas Reinsalu: Let me answer that by taking a step back: we are against genocide. But one of these is currently being committed by Russians in Ukraine. Against this background, the fact that there are no entry restrictions for the citizens of the aggressor state, that they can continue to vacation with us, shop or circumvent sanctions, is morally unacceptable. Let us realize that this is not about a few thousand people. About ten million Schengen visas are issued to Russian citizens. We must send a signal that not only Russian soldiers, but Russian society is responsible. Their restraint enables crimes to be committed on Ukrainian soil.

WORLD: Will you use this argument to convince your European colleagues at the upcoming meeting?

Reinsalu: With that, yes. And I will point out that there is a security argument. It's war in Europe and we often don't know who exactly is coming to us. We may not be a party to the war, but Russia sees us as opponents. We can become the target of espionage and sabotage. We have to prevent that.

WORLD: Opponents of a visa freeze argue that it often hits the wrong people, people who are oppressed in Russia and who have to flee. It is said that a travel ban could ultimately weaken even Russia's opposition to the Kremlin.

Reinsalu: I can't accept that. Estonia has already started to stop issuing Schengen visas. However, we continue to issue humanitarian visas, making exceptions, for example when stating certain private reasons, such as attending a funeral. Opponents of the regime can still come to us. You are always welcome.

WORLD: Not only with a possible visa stop, it is the Baltic countries and Poland that have been leading the way since the outbreak of war in the EU and are demanding ever stricter measures against Russia. When can an eighth package of sanctions be expected?

Reinsalu: At least we want it as soon as possible. We have already submitted concrete proposals for this to the Commission. It's about energy, trade, further restrictions on the Swift system and putting even more people and institutions on the sanctions list. The previous sanctions are working, but they are not enough. Before winter we need to further raise the price for Russia so that this war will end sooner. We also need to deliver more arms to Ukraine. Estonia provides the largest arms aid to Ukraine per capita. Of course, we would be happy if other countries followed suit.

WORLD: When you say this, do you think of Germany, which is internationally criticized for its hesitant aid to Ukraine? At the beginning of the year, there was disagreement between you and the federal government, because for a long time they did not agree to the handing over of Estonian howitzers from GDR stocks to the Ukraine.

Reinsalu: Sure, that wasn't the best moment in our relationship. But Germany is and will remain an important ally and partner in NATO. I would like to call on our German friends once again to ramp up arms deliveries to Ukraine. We are facing enormous changes, psychologically this is difficult, especially for Germany. I see. But Sweden and Finland are also realigning themselves. We have to be quick now, we can't wait, we have to face our challenges. The following applies: We are all still doing too little. We can't rest on the laurels of having sent a few tanks. War is expensive. But the Ukrainians make the real sacrifices. It is our responsibility to support them in their struggle. This is our moral duty. Because we could have done more to deter the "Russian beast". Ukrainians are the bravest nation in the world. But they won't survive without our help.

WORLD: In Germany, arms deliveries and tougher sanctions against Russia are controversial. Some opponents of sanctions emphasize that such sanctions also harm us Europeans.

Reinsalu: That's partly true in the short term, but not in the long term. If we are not ready to accept a little damage now, the damage to our economies will be much greater later - if we allow Russia not to be stopped in Ukraine. Sanctions are morally necessary for this. We must not make any concessions now. Just talking about it weakens our European position. We have to persevere and even tighten the sanctions. You see, history of the 20th century is repeating itself, a genocide is taking place in Ukraine. What are we doing to prevent this? How will our grandchildren judge us? These questions drive me. Are we a generation of Churchills or Chamberlains? History is made now. I've been to Ukraine often enough, I know what's happening there, bombs are falling on schools and hospitals. And we talk about our electricity or gas bill getting too expensive. That's not good and may have unpleasant consequences, but let's put that in perspective.

WORLD: Your government takes clear positions, not only towards Russia, but also towards China. You just announced that Estonia would leave the Chinese economic initiative "17 1" - on what grounds?

Reinsalu: Times are changing. When the group was established ten years ago, there was hope that cooperation with China would bear fruit. We were disappointed. However, we also believe that it is better if the EU negotiates with China as a body and not as a group of members. Added to this is China's relationship with Moscow. We would like Beijing, as a permanent member of the Security Council, to condemn Moscow's war. Unfortunately that doesn't happen. That's the context. It's not a world war, but a war that affects everything in the world. We have to acknowledge that and position ourselves.