Estonian PM Sticks to Hardline Rhetoric on Russia Despite U.S. Request to Tone Down

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said he will keep speaking openly about the threat Russia poses, refusing to soften his language after Pentagon officials urged the Baltic states to avoid overly sharp statements. Michal told reporters he had received no direct requests from the U.S. and called Putin a dictator who kills women and children, warning that currying favor with dictators only leads to humiliation. He highlighted Estonia’s contribution to NATO, allocating almost 7 % of its GDP to the alliance, and stressed that a willingness to “call a wolf a wolf” is essential for security. The U.S. had approached Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia with a request to tone down rhetoric, citing phrases such as “cornered like a rat” as inappropriate. Michal’s stance gives Russia no peace and signals Estonia’s firm commitment to defending NATO’s eastern flank.