A senior Estonian defense chief praised the United Kingdom for its support in deterring Russian aggression in Ukraine, but called on Western allies to double the number of troops sent to the country’s eastern border.
Kusti Salm, permanent secretary of the Estonian Ministry of Defense, said NATO forces should step up their presence in the Baltic states to warn Russian President Vladimir Putin against further invasions of Europe.
Calling Russia a “historical killer”, Mr Salm told reporters at a news conference in Tallinn, the country’s capital, that the threat from the Russian Federation was now “as far as can be clear”.
“There are not enough words of gratitude for Britain. Britain has definitely done a lot, so we are extremely grateful,” he said.
“There was no hesitation in his commitment to allied principles. But everyone can always do more.
“We need to make sure that the deterrent message that Allied forces are sending to Russia is that they should not even think about invading NATO or attacking NATO.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Britain has doubled the number of troops stationed in Estonia as part of NATO’s enhanced forward presence (eFP) in the country, bringing the total to 1650.
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