Instead of negotiating with Russia, it is necessary to suffocate it with sanctions, says the leader of Estonia. Politico. Europe should not open a diplomatic channel of communication with Vladimir Putin, the leader of one of the most vulnerable countries on the continent has warned. "Europe should not act as a mediator," Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said in an interview with Politico. "You shouldn't try to please a dictator. At the end of October, the leaders of Finland and Norway had a telephone conversation with Putin. Estonia's prime minister, whose attempts by Moscow to stir up internal unrest in his country, warned against the idea of ​​direct talks, saying it would weaken Europe's position in relations with Putin. "This time Europe has a plan that really works - to strangle Russia economically with sanctions," Michal said. "You can't play two roles. One role is to support Ukraine and put pressure on Russia. The second is to try to act as a mediator," said the Estonian leader. "Putin must understand that Europe is strong if we stay together and have one voice," he added. The Estonian leader said that the Europeans "appreciate" the efforts of the Trump administration to mediate a peace agreement, "but the pressure should be mainly on Russia", he said. "The problem is who sits in the Kremlin. Nowhere else," Michal said. Europe is closely watching how the changing balance of power in the US Congress will affect President Trump's position on Ukraine. "Elections have consequences. That's why a system of checks and balances is good for democracy," said Michal, referring to the election results. He added that electoral changes could move Washington even further "in a better direction, toward a values-based approach. And when the US becomes more value-oriented, it will probably be a good signal for Ukraine and for Europe."

Instead of negotiating with Russia, it is necessary to suffocate it with sanctions, says the leader of Estonia. Politico. Europe should not open a diplomatic channel of communication with Vladimir Putin, the leader of one of the most vulnerable countries on the continent has warned. "Europe should not act as a mediator," Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said in an interview with Politico. "You shouldn't try to please a dictator. At the end of October, the leaders of Finland and Norway had a telephone conversation with Putin. Estonia's prime minister, whose attempts by Moscow to stir up internal unrest in his country, warned against the idea of ​​direct talks, saying it would weaken Europe's position in relations with Putin. "This time Europe has a plan that really works - to strangle Russia economically with sanctions," Michal said. "You can't play two roles. One role is to support Ukraine and put pressure on Russia. The second is to try to act as a mediator," said the Estonian leader. "Putin must understand that Europe is strong if we stay together and have one voice," he added. The Estonian leader said that the Europeans "appreciate" the efforts of the Trump administration to mediate a peace agreement, "but the pressure should be mainly on Russia", he said. "The problem is who sits in the Kremlin. Nowhere else," Michal said. Europe is closely watching how the changing balance of power in the US Congress will affect President Trump's position on Ukraine. "Elections have consequences. That's why a system of checks and balances is good for democracy," said Michal, referring to the election results. He added that electoral changes could move Washington even further "in a better direction, toward a values-based approach. And when the US becomes more value-oriented, it will probably be a good signal for Ukraine and for Europe."