Estonia's finances are in Putin's hands, but Tallinn will not enter into a League duel with him

The new Estonian government will not increase defense spending above 5% of GDP, but their increase to 5% is also a huge stress for the state. This was stated in the "Uudis +" program by Estonian Finance Minister Jurgen Ligi, according to ERR.

When asked if Estonia's finances are now in safe hands, Ligi replied that they are not.

"They are not in my hands. They are mostly in the hands of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, but I also think we need to slow down a bit and recognize that we are not going to engage in a duel with Putin, but rather we need to calmly formulate the basic principles about who rules the country and what the real security threats are. That's why I do not agree that... the working group will propose some kind of plan for defense spending in the amount of nine or seven percent, which will then drop to three percent, but we will strive for five percent," Ligi said.

He noted that 5% is also "a colossal effort, a colossal stress" for the whole country.

"We are defending our country collectively, together with our European neighbors, and, above all, we still rely on the Americans, and Putin's attention is focused not on how to invade here with his troops, but still on Ukraine. We have time," the Estonian minister said.

The solution, according to him, is not for Estonia to purchase shells, but that everything should happen in accordance with a comprehensive development plan — "training and all other investments should also be made." He expressed the hope that no one would promise teachers a salary increase.

"Money is not the main thing. We need to recognize that we will not arm ourselves to the teeth by the fall, but we will carry out planned purchases and training to ensure overall security," the League stressed.