(Updated 14. July)
✔︎ Opinion: Don’t Be Putin’s Puppet
"In this video Op-Ed, the co-founder of the Ukrainian feminist group Femen, Sasha Shevchenko, urges President Trump to be wary of President Vladimir Putin of Russia when they meet in Helsinki on Monday."
✔︎ NATO Survives Trump, but the Turmoil Is Leaving Scars
✔︎ 12 Russian Intelligence Officers Charged Ahead of Trump-Putin Visit
- AP
✔︎ The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly 97-2 in support of NATO.
✔︎ Russians Dismiss Estonian Claim that a Russian Attack would Fail in Tallinn (Re: article "They Will Die in Tallinn: Estonia Girds for War”)
✔︎ NATO Review Magazine: "It took the Red Army ten years after the end of the Second World War to finally suppress the armed resistance in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, at a significant cost also to the Soviets. Civil resistance continued throughout the Soviet occupation, contributing to the fall of the Soviet Union. Yes, they can be attacked – but Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians will ferociously defend every square metre of their territory. And this time they will not be alone. NATO is really lucky to have such resilient nations protecting its eastern flank. Bottom line: the Baltics are not indefensible; they are not subjugable.”
- 2014-2018 Archive:
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Friday 13. July
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- Luik loodab, et Trump esindab Putiniga kohtudes Lääne ühiseid väärtusi
(ERR)
"USA president Donald Trump lõi NATO tippkohtumisel laineid. Esmalt nõudis ta, et kaitsekulused oleks SKT-st neli protsenti. "Aga selle neli protsenti ütleb Trump rohkem nagu sellise unistuste eesmärgina. Pikemaaegse mõttena. Oli selge sealsetest aruteludest, et see esmane suund saab olla ikka ainult kaks protsenti …"
✔︎ ‘They Will Die in Tallinn’: Estonia Girds for War
(Politico Magazine)
"The head of the tiny NATO member’s special forces, Colonel Riho Uhtegi, details his country’s preparations for a conflict many here see as inevitable. Like almost all Estonians of his generation, what drives Uhtegi is intensely personal, and tends to be tied up in the history of his country. “We all had one grandparent that remembered independence,” said Uhtegi, speaking of growing up during the Soviet occupation, “and they filled our heads with stories of it.”
✔︎ Russians Dismiss Estonian Claim that a Russian Attack would Fail in Tallinn
by Paul Goble
(Window on Eurasia)
"Three things are interesting about the Russian response. First, it verges on the hysterical. Second, it shows that Moscow has enormous confidence that NATO will defend Estonia and other member states. And third, it shows that despite that confidence, the Russian military has developed plans for seizing Estonia if so ordered."
✔︎ 12 Russian Intelligence Officers Charged Ahead of Trump-Putin Visit
(AP)
- For Putin, Helsinki talks with Trump is already a big geopolitical win
(Reuters)
- What To Expect From The Trump-Putin Summit
(RFERL)
- Washington Fears Trump Will Be No Match for Putin in Helsinki
(The New Yorker)
- The Real Opportunity Behind the Media Spectacle
(Foreign Affairs)
- Germany wary over Donald Trump-Vladimir Putin meeting
(Deutsche Welle)
- Number of protests for Trump-Putin Helsinki summit rises to 10
(Yle)
- Trump ‘plays Russia’s game’ with NATO attacks, former officials say
(Politico-Europe)
"NATO Survives Trump, but the Turmoil Is Leaving Scars"
"Trump's portrayal of NATO in crisis carries risks for alliance”
Opinion: "Europe needs to start planning for a future with no U.S.”
Opinion: "Pro-American Germans feel betrayed.”
"Germany used to be one of Washington's closest allies. But Donald Trump has singled the country out as his favorite target for criticism.”
Opinion: "Ban NATO Summits”
Opinion: "Trump isn’t attacking NATO. He’s strengthening it."
Opinion: "Failure Is the Only Option”
Opinion: "Things will not be okay."
- Trump backup planes to be held at Tallinn Airport during Monday’s Helsinki meeting
(ERR)
"A US military transport plane and backup Boeing C-32 with his team's gear ... will be held at Tallinn Airport, located some 90 km across the Gulf of Finland from the Finnish capital."
https://news.err.ee/846332/trump-backup-planes-to-be-held-at-tallinn-airport-during-helsinki-meeting
- Soome taastab ajutiselt piirikontrolli Helsingis ja Turus
(Postimees)
"Otsus taaskehtestada piirkontroll Schengeni ala sisepiiril on seotud esmaspäeval toimuva USA ja Vene presidendi kohtumise julgeolekumeetmetega."
- Öisel ajal lendavad Eesti idapiiril loata droonid
(Delfi | ERR)
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- Securing the Suwałki Corridor
by LTG (Ret.) Ben Hodges, Janusz Bugajski, Peter B. Doran
(CEPA report)
“The 65-kilometer wide stretch of land between Belarus and Kaliningrad— the SuwaÅ‚ki Corridor—is some of the most important territory within NATO’s borders. It is NATO’s physical link between the Baltic littoral to the north and the European plain to the south. If this Corridor is not fully secured, NATO’s credibility as a security guarantor to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia could be seriously undermined.”
or
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Thursday 12. July
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- Intervjuu: Kaitseminister Jüri Luik
(Delfi)
"NATO sõjalaevad hakkavad edaspidi Läänemerel tihedamalt liikuma."
- Arvo Pärt in Moscow
(Moscow Times)
"Exhibition celebrates the famous Estonian composer."
- 120 aastat tagasi sündis kuulsaim Hollywoodi jõudnud eestlane Ivan Triesault
(Postimees)
"Eestis Juhan Treisalti all tuntud mehe tuntuim roll oli Alferd Hitchcocki spioonifilmis «Notorious» (1946), ta mängis härrasmehest natsiiohvitseri Eric Mathist. Peaosades olid Gary Grant ja Ingrid Bergman ning film kandideeris kahele Oscarile ja Cannes'i Grand Prix’le.”
—
[Ivan Triesault was an Estonian Hollywood actor, born in Tallinn. He appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie “Notorious” with Gary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. Who knew?]
- Latvia will host new NATO northern headquarters from 2019
(Latvian Broadcasting)
“… with responsibility for planning and coordinating the defense of the Baltic region, organization and implementation of military training and other activities in order to increase the interoperability of the participating countries and the ability to jointly perform defense tasks. Division command will be comprised of officers from all framework countries – Denmark, Latvia and Estonia."
- The security fears that keep Europeans awake at night
(ECFR)
- Kremlin-linked Russian commentators step up calls for ‘destruction’ of Ukraine
by Paul Goble
(Euromaidan Press)
"The comments of self-described “television commentator” Valentin Filippov are not atypical of the new wave of Russian writing on this subject. He says directly that Ukraine is not a country but “a terrorist organization” and its population “are in essence the very same Russians Ukraine has been called upon to destroy.”
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"Moreover, Filippov continues, “all our actions which are not directed at killing Ukraine make it stronger.” It is time to drop the sentimentality and focus on the goal because the continued existence of Ukraine is a threat to Russia and the Russians. “The enemy must be destroyed and not forced to accept a peace.”
- Moscow Planning New Provocation in Occupied Crimea in Order to Blame Kyiv, Ukrainian General Says
(Window on Eurasia)
"Putin has a long history, extending back to the apartment bombings of 1999, of orchestrating terrorist attacks, blaming them on others, and using the reaction to his benefit …"
- 10 actions taken by the US president that boosts long-held Kremlin goals
(Mother Jones)
"Vladimir Putin has already done more to advance Russia’s foreign policy goals and worldview than anything he could have imagined in his wildest dreams as a longtime KGB agent. He has succeeded in sowing discord in the West without firing a shot, at low cost and with relatively few consequences (save for some limited sanctions against Russian oligarchs) as the Kremlin continues nefarious cyber and propaganda activities around the globe."
--
“One of Putin’s chief aims,” says Charles Kupchan, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, “is to weaken and divide the West. Trump is playing right into the Kremlin’s hands, doing Putin’s job for him.”
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Brussels Summit
Day 2
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- NATO tippkohtumine Brüsselis
(ERR | Postimees | Delfi)
"Eestist osalesid tippkohtumisel peaminister Jüri Ratas, kaitseminister Jüri Luik, välisminister Sven Mikser ja kaitseväe juhataja Riho Terras."
"Jüri Ratas kutsus jutuajamise käigus Donald Trumpi Eestit külastama."
"Ratas pidas õhtusöögile jalutades Trumpiga maha pika vestluse.”
"Trump ei kinnitanud pressikonverentsil NATO-st lahkumise soovi.”
"Kalev Stoicescu: Trumpi avaldus on realistlikult võttes ilmselge liialdus.”
"Ratas in Brussels: NATO to continue to bolster collective capability"
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| Photo: AP/Reuters |
- Jüri Ratas press conference with Estonian journalists at the NATO summit
(ERR)
“… the emergency meeting of leaders, called by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg before noon on Thursday, ended with an agreement in principle from all parties that defence spending needs to be raised at a more rapid rate.”
—
"The US continues to be committed to NATO. Of course he [ie. Trump] raised the topic of defence spending on repeated occasions over the course of these last two days.”
—
"The Estonian Minister of Defence, Jüri Luik (said) … it was clear that this stance [pulling the US out of NATO] was not in fact his attitude towards NATO.”
—
"President Trump repeatedly said at the press conference that NATO is stronger than it was two days ago, which expresses the US attitude extremely strongly," Mr. Mikser said."
"Prime Minister chats with Trump at NATO summit dinner."
- ‘Very stable’? European leaders beg to differ
(Politico)
"A senior NATO official said leaders had concluded that they simply could not rely on anything Trump said. “You know the way he speaks, you cannot take him literally."
- How Trump's Nato summit meltdown unfolded
(The Guardian)
"The first indication that things were not going to plan on the final day of Nato’s summit came from a group of Romanian journalists. They had left the main newsroom to observe a meeting between Donald Trump and the Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis. They returned to report that the meeting had been scrapped. Further reports began to spread around the newsroom. An earlier meeting between Trump and the leader of Azerbaijan had also been cancelled. So too had one planned with the leader of Ukraine. And Georgia. Something was up. ...”
"Putin Has Already Won: Trump’s blowup at the NATO summit is exactly what Russia hoped would happen."
"Trump Caps NATO Trip With Wild, Impromptu Press Conference"
- White House transcript of press conference after NATO Summit
(White House press release)
- Trump’s NATO
by Judy Dempsey and Tomáš Valášek
(Carnegie Europe)
“… a pattern has clearly emerged: the U.S. president uses these events to speak to home audiences. He’s permanently campaigning, and the low defense spending by Europeans does play well with the American public, which is understandably upset that the United States has come to carry such disproportionate share of the alliance’s defense burden.”
[Politico-Europe NATO Summit blog.]
"Trump Claims a Big NATO Victory Over Allies."
"President says US can go it alone if allies don’t meet spending target.”
“I think I can probably can [pull out of NATO], but that’s unnecessary, and the people have stepped up today like they’ve never stepped up before,” Trump said.”
"Who knew John Kelly was so anti-continental breakfast?”
"Nato has asked Macedonia to join the Western bloc.”
"Russia Dismisses NATO as ‘Useless’ Distraction.”
"Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has fired back at Donald Trump over his criticism of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project …”
Satire: "Merkel Asks Mueller If She Can Help.”
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Wednesday 11. July
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- Poliitikud on Eesti idapiiri maksumuse osas eri meelt
(ERR)
“Esialgsetest plaanidest ligi neli korda kallimaks muutunud idapiiri projekt paneb poliitikuid küsima, kas nii kallist asja ikka on tarvis."
- Venemaa kaitseminister Šoigu: USA on oma sõjaväebaasid vastu Vene piiri surunud
(Delfi)
"Ma olen ammu tahtnud anda Ameerika kolleegidele gloobuse, et nad saaksid seda vaadata ja seletada, miks asuvad deklareeritud „Ameerika vaenlased” Lähis-Idas ja Kaug-Idas ning kõik nende sõjaväebaasid ja väed on vastu Venemaa piire surutud.”
- Images From Ivan Kupala Night
(The Atlantic)
"In parts of Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, and Russia, an ancient pagan summer rite called Kupala combined with the traditional Orthodox feast of Saint John the Baptist, becoming Ivan Kupala Night, a festival celebrating the summer solstice.”
- Russian mining firm puts Trump's face on its asbestos products
(National Observer - Canada)
"Uralasbest, one of the world’s largest producers and sellers of asbestos, has taken to adorning pallets of its product with a seal of Trump’s face, along with the words “Approved by Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States”.
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Brussels Summit
Day 1
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- 2018 Summit Declaration
(NATO Press Release)
"Trump did sign the 23-page NATO declaration - which is critical of Russia."
"The US did not break from NATO, but Trump sent wildly conflicting messages …"
"Dear America, appreciate your allies. After all, you don’t have that many …”
"Trump pushes NATO countries to raise defense spending to 4%."
"Washington spent 3.6 percent last year…"
“What Good Is NATO?” Trump Asks.”
"‘Anger and Disgust’ as Trump Blows Up NATO Summit.”
"Former U.S. secretary of state John F. Kerry on Wednesday accused President Trump of “strange” and “counterproductive” behavior at the outset of a NATO gathering and said Trump is “steadily destroying our reputation in the world.”
"President Trump’s antagonistic behavior at NATO risks America’s closest alliances.”
"Trump’s misleading and dangerous attack on NATO.”
"U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison will have to clean up whatever mess the president leaves behind in Brussels.”
“Germany, as far as I’m concerned, is captive to Russia.”
"The German government should not need exhortations from the U.S. President to raise its level of defense spending.”
"The Russian pipeline to Germany explained."
"U.S. ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison and White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly look uncomfortable. Hutchinson appears to avert her gaze from her NATO colleagues sitting across from her, while Kelly looks down, then shifts his body and glances away, lips pursed tightly. …"
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Tuesday 10. July
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- NATO ‘Obsolete’? Baltic Nations See It Much Differently
(New York Times)
"In conversations with dozens of people at the festival and around Riga, worries about NATO were not the top concern, but there was a nagging sense that the world was off-kilter and the guarantees of recent years might not be as solid as they once seemed. Edgars Vilumsons, 29, has grown so used to Russian provocations that he sees them as part of the background noise of daily life. “It’s like if your neighbor had a mean dog and every day you walk past that dog but all it does is bark,” he said. “You are not going to stop what you are doing."
- U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly 97-2 in support of NATO
(The Hill | CNN)
—
- Senate Resolution 54
- Opinion: What America Gets Out of NATO
By Nicholas Burns, former ambassador to NATO
(New York Times)
"First, NATO’s formidable conventional and nuclear forces are the most effective way to protect North America and Europe — the heart of the democratic world — from attack. Threats to our collective security have not vanished in the 21st century. Mr. Putin remains a determined adversary preying on Eastern Europe and American elections. NATO is a force multiplier: The United States has allies who will stand by us, while Russia has none."
- What NATO Can and Can’t Accomplish Without U.S. Leadership
(Foreign Affairs)
- Mihkelson, Loone, Mikser attend NATO PA meeting ahead of Brussels summit
(ERR)
"NATO, like many other international organisations, is currently at a crossroads and has to decide on its future path. This is why NATO parliamentary-level discussions that enable a strategic approach to the whole alliance are especially important," delegation member Oudekki Loone explained. "It is in Estonia's interests that NATO leaves behind its Cold War past and enters the future as an alliance of equals which enables the shared use of knowledge, technology, and standards, and the effective and functional protection of its members."
- Kas Euroopa liidrid on valmis vahetama suveräänsuse illusiooni tegeliku julgeoleku vastu?
(Postimees)
- Sõjakooli reklaam langes nii eesti- kui venekeelse kriitikatule alla
(Postimees)
- Eesti sõjaväeluure uueks juhiks sai Margo Grosberg
(ERR)
- Semi-state Security Actors and Russian Aggression
(Lawfare)
"Russian aggression is a central concern of the foreign and security policy community, with debate focusing on what Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions are and how best to deter him. But missing from much of the discussion is the fact that a variety of semi-state security groups, with a hazy relationship to Moscow’s central authorities, are playing an increasing role in Russian actions both at home and abroad. The United States and other Western states must develop a better understanding of the complex motives and economic interests held by these opaque and informally commanded security forces …”
- Does the EU need its own Ellis Island?
(Euronews)
"Europe's leaders have taken a small step towards a common migration policy with their agreement on June 28 to set up "controlled centers"scattered around the European Union. The centers will house and process asylum seekers, shifting the full burden away from frontline countries Italy, Spain and Greece. But these centers are a long way from a permanent solution in the Mediterranean. To manage the chaotic and politically explosive undocumented migrants problem, does the EU need its own version of Ellis Island?”
- Updating the Way Nato Learns
(War on the Rocks)
"It is past time to move the discussion past basic financial metrics; instead, there should be more of a focus on evaluating how and what NATO has learned from its decades of international crisis management. Collectively identifying strategic lessons and adapting accordingly is important if NATO is to continue providing for the security of all member states. Such an evaluation can provide insights about NATO’s performance above and beyond measuring what percentage of GDP each member state is devoting to defense spending. Organizations that learn from the past are more likely to succeed. … the alliance is actively learning from its current and past military operations."
"The United States remains a crucial contributor to Europe’s security, both through NATO and as an independent actor. This is considered so important by many E.U. member states that, per the survey, 13 of them would be willing to make unspecified concessions to ensure that the United States remained “in” Europe."
“NATO's 'Lessons Learned’ process: "A Lessons Learned capability provides a commander with the structure, process and tools necessary to capture, analyse and take remedial action on any issue and to communicate and share results to achieve improvement."
"NATO’s Relevance."
"The Alliance’s evolving posture: towards a theory of everything."
"The wealthiest NATO allies have underspent, while the poorest have moved heaven and earth to meet the target."
"Neglect of Europe goes beyond angry tweets."
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Monday 9. July
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- Kas Eestile on võimalik teha ring peale ühegi sõidu eest sentigi maksmata?
(ERR)
"Tasuta maakonnaliinidega võiks see teoreetiliselt ju võimalik olla. ERR-i ajakirjanikud Merit Maarits ja Anette Parksepp proovivadki kolme päevaga ümber Eesti sõita, kasutades selleks ainult tasuta busse."
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- Soome ja Rootsi allkirjastasid kaitsekoostööpakti
(ERR)
"Vastastikuse mõistmise memorandum, mille allkirjastasid Jussi Niinistö ja Peter Hultqvist, katab rahu- ja sõjaaegset koostööd, kuid ei sisalda vastastikuse sõjalise abistamise kohustust ega tähenda kaitseliidu moodustamist, teatas Soome kaitseministeerium pressiteates."
- Finland and Sweden sign defence pact in Turku
(Yle)
"A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Monday by Finnish defence minister Jussi Niinistö and his Swedish counterpart Peter Hultqvist in Turku. The document covers collaboration during peace and war time but does not specify a duty to provide mutual assistance or entail the creation of a defence alliance, Finland’s defence ministry said in a press release."
- Leedu loodab rahastada Rail Balticut EL-i sõjalise mobiilsuse fondist
(ERR)
"Euroopa Komisjon tegi kevadel ettepaneku panna EL-i 2021.–2027. aasta eelarvesse kirja kaheotstarbelise teedetaristu vahendid, et lihtsustada sõjatehnika liikumist liikmesriikides. Leedu ametnikud räägivad, et loodavad saada niinimetatud sõjalise mobiilsuse fondist vähemalt 430 miljonit eurot fikseeritud hindades."
- Soome teadlased: Läänemerd kimbutav hapnikupuudus on enneolematult ränk
(ERR)
"Läänemere rannikuvetes pole leidunud sedavõrd vähe hapnikku vähemalt viimased 1500 aastat, leiavad Soome ja Saksamaa teadlased. Töörühma hinnangul peitub põhjus põldude liigses väetamises ja linnadest merre voolavas solgis.”
- ‘Accidental Americans’ ask for independence
(Politico-Europe)
"Americans with barely any ties to the U.S. want the president to free them of burdens tied to their passport. … Unlike most countries, the United States requires citizens everywhere to file annual tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service. This grates with the accidentals, who got their citizenship inadvertently through marriage, lineage or birth on U.S. soil, without ever living in America in their adult life.”
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"Anne, a 57-year-old Belgian who asked for her surname to be withheld, racked up fees of about $50,000 over two years before she could renounce her citizenship formally in December 2016. The costs included: $26,000 in fees to a New York law firm, $21,000 in back taxes, a $2,350 processing fee to the U.S. Embassy, and other charges for paperwork and travel."
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