Estonian president clarifies remarks on future dialogue with Russia

Estonian President Alar Karis has clarified his recent comments suggesting Europe may need to engage with Russia after the war in Ukraine ends, stressing that he was referring to a post-conflict reality rather than any current political dialogue.

In an interview with ERR, Karis said any talks with Russia would only be possible if the country changes and the war comes to an end, Caliber.Az reports.

“At some point the war will end, and all wars do end—I have said this many times—even the Hundred Years’ War eventually came to a close. That means we will then have to assess the state of the world, including the situation regarding Russia,” Karis noted.

He added that holding talks with Russia at present would be “quite difficult.”

“And when I speak about communication, people often assume I mean Putin, although I did not mention him at all. No, I am referring to Russia. This is not about today’s negotiations, but about the time when the war is over,” he stressed.

Karis acknowledged that “negotiations with the Russian president are currently pointless, as he has no intention of ending hostilities against Ukraine.”

“At the moment, there is really nothing to discuss with Putin. We see a war of attrition underway, and he has no plan to sit down at the table to discuss this issue. But when the war ends… This is not like Nazi Germany, when an army stands on Red Square and holds a victory parade. This is a different situation—the key is to drive the aggressor out of one’s country,” he empasised.

He made it clear that conditions must be created in which Russia is compelled to seek a resolution to the conflict and halt military operations, which in his view would force the country “to return to where it came from.”

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov