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The President, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who gave a presentation at the influential Brussels Forum, reproached the European Union for its slow and cautious joint counter steps following Russia's aggression in Ukraine.
Ilves: we have kept pressing the snooze button to postpone awakening
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The crisis in Ukraine shows that plutocracy is a governing value in Europe – in times when all our fundamental truths about security have collapsed and state borders are being violated in front of our very eyes, we only feel worried about our own bank accounts and economic growth, told the Estonian Head of State at the Brussels Forum, an event that brings together important security and foreign policy decision makers and shapers on trans-Atlantic issues.
Europe's current response to the violation of frontiers, the tearing up of international agreements and the collapsing of the security balance in Europe itself has been to give notice to 21 people to let them know that they are no longer welcome to our countries, relayed President Ilves, emphasising: "This is not an adequate response."
He recalled that the invasion of Russian military forces in Georgia in 2008 should have been an alarm bell for us but "since then, we have kept pressing the snooze button since to postpone awakening."
President Ilves encouraged the European Union to be more decisive in defending its common values and stand up with the United States of America, which has shown more determination, against the aggression in Europe. He referred to the vision of Robert Kagan – Americans are from Mars, Europeans from Venus – saying that Americans are from Mars and Europeans from Pluto.
The Estonian Head of State spoke yesterday at the opening panel of Brussels Forum with the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, and an analyst from Goldman Sachs, Robert Zoellichi.
President Ilves also spoke yesterday about world politics at the Brussels Forum's Young Professionals Summit. Today, he will address the subject of cyber defence.