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Estonia will not ask Ukraine to stop its long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries despite incidents in which Ukrainian drones, diverted by Russian electronic warfare systems, have entered NATO territory, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in an interview with the Financial Times.
According to the report, Ukraine has significantly intensified long-range strikes against targets inside Russia in recent months. In response, Moscow has expanded its electronic warfare capabilities, causing some Ukrainian drones, including those targeting the Baltic port of St. Petersburg, to stray into NATO airspace, UATV English reports.
“Of course, we are not happy about these incidents. But we are not asking Ukraine to stop because these strikes are hitting one of Putin’s vital resources,” Tsahkna said.
He dismissed Russia’s claims that the Baltic states are directly involved in the attacks by allowing Ukraine to use their airspace as “absurd,” describing the accusations as a sign of the Kremlin’s desperation.
“We know that over the last two and a half months the tone around Putin has changed. He is no longer as optimistic. The main reason is economic, and it is precisely because of these long-range strikes,” Tsahkna said.
According to the Estonian foreign minister, the Kremlin appears to be “deeply concerned” about the attacks, particularly because of their impact on exports through the Baltic Sea. He noted that around 60% of Russia’s oil exports pass through the narrow Gulf of Finland.
At the same time, Tsahkna cautioned that it is still too early to conclude that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready for negotiations. He also described recent European attempts to reopen dialogue with Moscow as “mistaken.”
“Over the past month, Putin has tried to draw Europe into negotiations. The goal is to use Europe to buy time and divide us. Before Europe decides who should represent us, we first need to agree on the substance of the message and only then discuss who should deliver it,” he said.
Read also: WSJ: Mass Ukrainian Drone Attacks Are Overwhelming Russia’s Air Defenses
