Prime Minister Kallas awarded prize by influential think-tank for championing international rule of law

In her speech upon accepting the prize, Prime Minister Kallas stressed that we are living at a time in which aggression has reached Europe’s borders. “The Kremlin is once again attempting to build a wall that will divide Europe, but this time Estonia is lucky enough to be on the right side of it,” she remarked. “The same cannot be said of Ukraine.” 
 
The Estonia head of government urged the free world to do everything it can to end Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine and the war crimes being committed on its doorstep. “The free world has made a lot of right decisions in support of Ukraine, but we have not acted quickly enough in implementing them,” she cautioned. “We must up the tempo. Ukraine, right now, needs weapons to fight off the aggressor and liberate its territory.”
 
In this regard, Prime Minister Kallas praised the United Kingdom for the leading role it has played and recalled that just over a hundred years ago the country’s support also helped guarantee the independence of the new Republic of Estonia. “The British naval forces in the Gulf of Finland ensured Estonia’s maritime security for almost the entire duration of the War of Independence between 1918 and 1920,” she said. “The weapons you provided in the winter and spring of 1919 were of critical importance on Estonia’s frontlines. It is not difficult to draw parallels between our past and the situation today, and it is impossible to overstate the importance of supporting Ukraine. Now, as then, the United Kingdom is playing a key role in defending those principles.” 
 
Prime Minister Kallas added that the experience of half of Europe in the wake of World War II should serve as a reminder that nothing must be given to an aggressor which they did not have before – since, sooner or later, this will only lead to further aggression. “Peace does not automatically mean an end to cruelty,” she warned. “I speak here of the experience of much of Central and Eastern Europe. For Estonia, ‘peace’ following World War II meant the start of repressions. We are seeing the same thing happening today in the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine: children are being deported en masse to Russia, women are being raped, and men are being imprisoned.”

Prime Minister Kallas says the world stands witness to Russia’s state-sanctioned calls for genocide. “High-level officials, including Putin and his media mouthpieces, are pushing propaganda with the clear aim of at least partly if not fully eradicating Ukraine and its people,” she said, referencing reports from the field which indicate that Russian soldiers have embraced the genocide campaign. 

The Estonian head of government stressed that Putin, and all those who have committed acts of terror, must know that their day of reckoning is coming. “We cannot return to the way things were with Russia,” she said. “Poor or non-existent relations with war criminals are not something we should be afraid of.”

Prime Minister Kallas says it must be ensured that the aggressor makes reparations and compensates civilian victims of the war. To this end she proposed a separate victims’ fund, for the financing of which Russian assets and Central Bank reserves frozen as part of sanctions should be used. 

The full text of the address given by Prime Minister Kallas can be found online at https://valitsus.ee/uudised/kaja-kallase-kone-grotiuse-auhinna-vastuvotmisel.

Gallery: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzTa6m