Berlin The Berlin Wall not only divided Berlin and Europe, but the whole world into two systems: capitalism and socialism. For many Estonians and citizens of former Soviet states, however, it was also a separation between freedom and bondage – including the Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
When Kallas was in Germany for the first time, in 1988, the world was still divided into East and West. At that time, the eleven-year-old traveled to East Germany with her father Siim Kallas. Her father was also Prime Minister of Estonia. In Berlin he showed his daughter the Wall. “Children, take a deep breath – this is the air of freedom that comes from the other side,” Siim Kallas is said to have said at the time.
34 years later, Kallas is on a trip to Germany again. The Prime Minister wants to use them to increase the pressure on the federal government. She demands an immediate ban on imports of Russian oil and gas, further strengthening of NATO’s eastern flank and the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine. Above all, however, she reminds us of the good of freedom. In times of the Ukraine war, this freedom seems to be threatened by Russia again for many Estonians and former Soviet states. Kaja Kallas made that clear on Monday evening in the “Speech on Freedom” for the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.
Kallas shows a photo from the family album
“Russian aggression against Ukraine has forced us to think about what freedom means for each and every one of us. And how fragile she can be,” Kallas said at the event, showing a photo from the family album. You can see it: the Kallas family in front of the Berlin Wall. It’s the moment she “breathed the air of freedom” for the first time.
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Since 2018, Kallas has been the leader of the liberal Estonian Reform Party, founded by her father. The 45-year-old has been prime minister of the Baltic state since 2021. She is clearly in favor of Europe and NATO. Kallas criticizes her allies for acting too hesitantly and for lack of leadership, but also defends them in Estonia from harsh critics: “Germany has done a lot, especially when you consider that a complete turnaround in defense policy has taken place.” Germany must live up to its leading role in Europe and adds: “Gas may be expensive, but freedom is priceless.”
>> Read here: Baerbock initiates a change in Ostpolitik
The border between Estonia and Russia is 330 kilometers long. Not only because Russia is a direct neighbor of Estonia, the Ukraine war triggers different fears in the Baltic state than in Germany. Because of 50 years of Soviet rule, many Estonians fear being the next target of Russian aggression. This is one of the reasons why the willingness to support Ukraine is even greater among the government and the population than in other European countries.
Six times as many weapons as Germany
“We emptied our camps to support Ukraine,” Kallas said. “I find it hard to believe that bigger countries have nothing to give. We supplied six times as many weapons as Germany.” Estonia has increased its defense budget to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product. Percentage-wise, the country has supplied more arms to Ukraine than any other country, and three percent of the Estonian population are already Ukrainian refugees. The liberal politician wishes the same for Germany.
During her visit to Germany, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas met Christine Lambrecht and – via video link – Christian Lindner as well as Olaf Scholz to discuss further measures to support Ukraine. The maxim of the Estonian: “If we don’t help our neighbors when their house is on fire, their fire will also engulf our house.”
Putin must not get away with it
However, Chancellor Scholz and parts of the SPD fear a further escalation of the conflict. “The chancellor is walking a fine line,” says SPD foreign policy expert Frank Schwabe. Scholz still assumes the leadership role and would already fill it. This is also shown by the financial means already made available and the arms deliveries to Ukraine.
But there are also more research voices in the SPD. Foreign politician Michael Roth said on Twitter: “Anyone who warns of further escalation is right. However, this can only be prevented by extensive arms deliveries.” Kallas also supports this view. She believes that lasting peace in Europe can only be achieved if Russia loses the war: “We can’t let Putin get away with it again now. If that happened, his appetite would only increase, and more atrocities and human suffering would ensue.”
The federal government now appears to be at least partially yielding to the pressure. The traffic light government wants to decide on the delivery of further weapons and Cheetah tanks this week. This emerges from an application that became known on Tuesday. Only at the weekend did the FDP party congress vote “with an overwhelming majority” for the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine.
Kaja Kallas doesn’t want to stop calling for freedom. She concludes the speech of freedom with a quote from world chess champion Garry Kasparov: “The price of stopping a dictator always increases with every delay and every hesitation. Meeting evil halfway is still a victory for evil.”
More: Weapons, security guarantees, weakening of Russia – What western defense ministers are advising in Ramstein.