Estonia reacted to statements by former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder regarding the “demonization” of Russia, stressing that a policy of appeasement toward the aggressor does not yield long-term results. This position was voiced by Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna on his page on X.
According to the head of Estonia’s foreign policy department, calls to avoid defining Russia as an aggressor and hints at resuming energy cooperation are dangerous and unacceptable in the context of the war in Ukraine.
“Full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine is the direct result of a years-long policy of appeasement and decades of belief that trade tames aggression. This belief funded Russia’s rearmament and drove Europe into an energy dependency that supported the flow of money to the aggressor”
– Margus Tsahkna
Context of the discussion and implications for foreign policy
Discussion of the Wandel durch Handel concept (“Changes through Trade”) indicates that attempts to liberalize authoritarian regimes through economic interaction have not paid off. According to Tsahkna, such an approach did not yield the expected effect and sometimes even supported the aggressor with financial flows.
“the Wandel durch Handel policy” (“Changes through Trade”, the policy of Germany and the EU, based on the belief that economic cooperation with authoritarian regimes would lead to their liberalization – ed.) has failed
– Margus Tsahkna
Such statements highlight the sharp political-economic debate in Europe regarding the further shaping of the foreign policy toward Russia and the use of deterring tools against the aggressor in the modern European context. The central aim is a balance between security and the economic interests of member states, as well as protecting sovereignty and regional stability.
In the context of this wave of discussions, attention is focused on the specific steps and instruments that should be applied to deter aggression and strengthen security in Europe, especially taking into account how Russia continues to threaten the sovereignty of neighboring states.