Alar Karis HELSINKI, Mar 29Estonian President Alar Karis told the Financial Times that NATO needs to strengthen the alliance's eastern wing. «The UK-led NATO battlegroup in Estonia is strong and effective, as is the NATO air security mission at our Ämari airbase. We need more military force. That means NATO's greater presence and readiness for combat in all areas: on land, in the air and at sea, supported by such important factors as air defense,» Karis told the publication. He said that while Russia continues the special operation in Ukraine, the people of Estonia one must be ready for changes in the way of life, «an integral part of which in many European countries is Russian oil and gas.» According to him, the permanent presence of NATO in Estonia emphasizes that the Baltic countries and Poland are «in an equal position» with Germany, Italy or the UK. Previously, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, speaking at the NATO summit, called on the alliance to develop long-term solutions to strengthen the defense of Estonia and station a NATO division in the country. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, noted that the build-up of the NATO grouping on the eastern flank was openly provocative, and containment of Russia had again become the main purpose of the bloc. Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at the military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops and, as of March 25, they have completed the main tasks of the first stage — they have significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass.
