The head of the foreign affairs committee of the Estonian Parliament, a member of the ruling Reform Party, Marko Mihkelson, says that the transportation in the eastern direction will not stop until the Western countries agree on sanctions and introduce a full trade embargo against the Russian Federation.
The biggest problem is related to the high technologies used in the military industry, where sanctions are supposed to apply. This is confirmed by microchips and technology from Western companies found in Russian missiles manufactured last year. Mihkelson believes that giving a clear moral assessment to those companies, continuing trading sanctioned products, is necessary.
According to him, Estonia’s task is to ensure that it is possible to establish sanctions that would have an effect at the EU level, in cooperation with the US. At the international level, attention should also be paid to the transfer of frozen assets related to Russia to Ukraine.
All these mechanisms will work more effectively and have a stronger influence on Russia if it is possible to act together with the USA at the level of the European Union. “Russia, of course, skillfully tries to influence Western countries through such countries as, for example, Hungary. Since the imposition of sanctions is based on consensus, it is clear that we cannot be tougher, as Hungary opposes it,” the politician said.
Similar thoughts were expressed by the head of the Isamaa opposition party, Urmas Reinsalu. “I believe that Western countries should impose an embargo on Russia. I think that Isamaa will propose to form a commission at the Parliament to investigate this transit and business,” said Reinsalu.
According to him, it is unacceptable if the Estonian state supports companies, continuing doing business with Moscow at the expense of the state or the European Union. Reinsalu also believes that it would be expedient for Estonia to try to negotiate with the states bordering the Russian Federation, namely Finland, Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania, on limiting trade with Russia and introducing national sanctions. The Western countries should take effective measures to undermine the ability of Russia to obtain needed dual-use goods for the production of missiles to kill innocent Ukrainian people.
