FILE PHOTO: David Mdzinarishvili / Reuters
On April 4, during a visit to the White House Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid called to deploy US Patriot missile systems and ground troops in Estonia, stating it could be a deterrent device against Russia.
“We want to be sure that both NATO’s territory and NATO soldiers are well protected,” the Estonian president said. “We need to make sure that there is the air defense and the air support for these forces, in case that is necessary. We need our deterrence to be believable.”
Kaljulaid said that her offer had not come up during a meeting with the US President Donald Trump, as he seemed to refuse the US military assets abroad. However, the “permanent” negotiations between the countries are ongoing.
On March 28, Poland, another NATO member state, invested a $4.75-billion to purchase a Patriot missile system amid Moscow’s opposition to any deployment of US-made systems in Eastern Europe.
Russia rejects the deployment of Patriot missile systems, arguing that it goes against the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
The INF treaty was signed between the US and the former Soviet Union on December 8, 1987. The accord covered deployed and non-deployed ground-based short-range missiles and intermediate-range missiles.
NATO has already dispatched a military group to Estonia with soldiers from the UK, France and Denmark, but Kaljulaid, stated that the deployment would bring another dimension to the project.
American soldiers have already participated in NATO’s so-called “Enhanced Forward Presence” mission based in Poland.
Russia considers such deployments as attempts to militarize the area near its borders.
Kaljulaid has mentioned the live-fire Russian military exercise in the Baltic Sea by outside of NATO waters. Estonian leadership branded that drill a “show of force”.
In July, 2017 the USA for the first time deployed Patriot long-range anti-aircraft missiles to the Baltics, which participated large-scale NATO military drills in Lithuania.
Show of forces my ass. Sold your home, your children, your people for small changes of USD with a bonus of being a legitimate targets for military or missile launch.
Well, some protection is better than no protection at all. Estonia has good reason for being afraid of Russia (Under its control for many years, many times). Having US soldiers in Estonia actually deters Russian attack, because you know, nobody wants WW3.
Nobody (as in the unwashed masses) wants a war, of any kind. But, the political elites want one. They’re poking at everyone to see what will provide the spark to get things going.
That’s assuming that A: Russia wants to attack. An assertion still unproven and only fueled by Western politicians and media parrots parroting this over and over again. And B: a US military presence actually makes Estonia a target for the Russian military. A neutral Estonia is no priority or target to the Russians. Estonia, NATO country and straddling Russia’s sole access to the Baltic and to reinforce and supply the Kaliningrad enclave is very much a danger to Russia.
“straddling Russia’s sole access to the Baltic”
You should lookup the definition ‘of straddling’ and/or buy yourself a map.
It’s like inviting a serial murder into the home. What possibly could go wrong ?
Lol, as! That covers it very well in one sentence! Or two.
I wonder if NATO troops will march in Latvia’s annual Nazi parade.
Having protection means training your own military to protect the land and the people, in conjunction with rational foreign policy focused on peaceful co-operation and mutually beneficial trade and treaties. Inviting US in is like inviting a bunch of thugs into your own home. They are still “overpaid, oversexed, and over here”. And having them “over here” means that Estonia becomes an automatic military target for Russia in case of trouble. And US loves having wars on other peoples’ territories, ask Vietnam, Korea, Iraq,…
The Emperor, the USSR, and Russia only used the Baltics for access to the sea. They saw nothing else there of value. When these three cabbage patches joined NATO Russia started using and further developing its own port facilities in around St. Petersberg. Since the Ukraine fiasco, Russia has redirected most of its rail cargo to its own ports which was a big blow to all three states but especially Latvia whose national economy was practically dependent on the transit and handling of Russian coal. Could it be that Russia took offense to Latvia’s open campaigning against Nord Stream 2?
they always can use a little bit more money…lol
Why not install Minuteman ICBM silos? Nothing to see here, it’s only aggression if the Russkies reinforce Kaliningrad.
If Russia was to reinforce Kainingrad any more than it already is – would there be any room left for the people? (It’s covered with a bubble anyway.)
Interesting corruption of the leaders of this country. These leaders think that they and their families will enjoy the big money given by USA and will be save after a nuclear attack.
Poles know very well that Patriots cannot even hit Houthis’ missiles! We stand against the US inperialism!
Uh huh – so they just bought $46B more?
” As of 1 January 2017, the population of Estonia was estimated to be 1,304,031 people.”
The total population is about the same as a medium sized city in the EU. Yet the leaders there think the country important. It is not.
In all fairness, Estonia with its population of 1.304.031 people may be an unimportant midget, Estonia as a piece of strategic real estate may be more important. With Finland neutral, Estonia is probably key in NATO strategies to deny Russia access to the Baltic and from reinforcing the Kaliningrad enclave.
That is true and the Estonians are rather foolish if they do not realise they will be the first to die if the US creates a False Flag Attack there.
The Estonians would be far better advised to be a Neutral Country.
Too late. They drank the Kool-Aid.
Saw somewhere that until about 1918, the Baltics and Finland were Russian territory….
What a stupid comment bobbie moma! Russia has already said any Israeli USSA attack will be fought in the USSA and Israel not in Russia. Within 30 minutes of any auch attack America and Israel will case to exist so what goes on in the baltics or anywhere else won’t matter at all.
You do know that Russia has access to the Baltic from St.Petersberg, right? As for Kaliningrad, it’s bristling with Iskander hypersonic tactical missiles. Warsaw and Vilnius are in range. What chance would Poland’s newly purchased Patriots have at intercepting it?
But it makes a nice little buffer…..
Patriot missiles are such a scam, but if the suckers want to get ripped off let them. For a start, who would want to invade Estonia? Hollywood might buy it as a movie set, but beyond that it has no value, and, All wars are about money.
Those Baltics aren’t actually shìtting themselves for nothing…. They can’t do anything about – or even prevent – the NATO buildup in and around them and if the US does succeed in pushing Russia to war then … well …. one of the first things the Russians will do is annihilate those batteries (and most of the countries with them) and then – move in.
They are quite literally stuck between a rock and hard place.
Putin has already stated that if Russia is invaded, he will go nuclear. The prime targets would of course be New York and Washington. Why play around the edges with insignificant countries, when you can kill the enemy with a head shot?
Putin set out clearly the conditions under which the RF would use nukes.
Yes he did. One can choose to ignore him at one’s own peril.
The Baltics chose to be part of that NATO build-up and they chose to agitate and join in on the sanctions fun. They’re stuck between a rock and a hard place by choice. I don’t feel sorry for them.
You really think the Baltics had any choice in the matter?
Yes I do.
And how does Estonia intend to pay for them? With US taxpayer dollars??
The article is a little vague on this but I understand that Estonia is hoping the USA will station America’s Patriots in Estonia. I don’t think they are offering to buy them. If the USA agrees, I think Poland would be little more than upset. That doesn’t really bother me since they were stupid enough to cough up 4+bln USD for a pile of junk that has at best a 10% success record.
Estonia’s importance is being a vassal state of Anglo/Zionist imperialism, and a national cannon-fodder for Nato. Estonia is on the road to national suicide.
The new hypersonic nukes are only ten minutes from London, if there is a war, the attackers will find their homeland gone before they are 10 kliks into Russia.
Must have an EU muppet for a president. Ethnically they have much more in common with the Russians than the US, and if they cuddle up to the EU Estonia will end up full of Africans.