Latest news with #KaimoKuusk
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'I don't see Russia being serious about negotiations': Estonia's permanent secretary general of ministry of defence Kaimo Kuusk
Kaimo Kuusk - Estonia's permanent secretary general of ministry of defence Trump and Putin are slated to meet in Alaska on Aug 15 to try and facilitate a ceasefire in the Ukraine war. However, many in Ukraine and Europe remain sceptical that the Alaksa talks will yield anything substantial since neither Zelenskyy nor European representatives are going to be present. Estonia, a frontline state in the Baltics, has stakes in this war. Kaimo Kuusk , Estonia's permanent secretary general of ministry of defence, who was also Estonia's ambassador to Ukraine, spoke to Rudroneel Ghosh during a visit to Tallinn in May, about the trajectory of the war, Russia's gameplan and Nato's startegy for the future: Do you think a ceasefire could be achieved in Ukraine in the near future? Not on equal terms because Russia is not negotiation on goodwill. From our own Estonian experience we know that Russia is a chronic liar. It just doesn't stick to international treaties. From our independence 100 years ago, they started to violate the treaty almost immediately. In this case as well, I was in Ukraine as ambassador so I saw the Minsk agreements, the Normandy format of negotiations, and how Russia played with the process and did not respect any of the truce agreements. So I don't see Russia being serious in negotiations. The only way to get fair peace for Ukraine is through additional pressure on Russia. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Become Fluent in Any Language Talkpal AI Sign Up Undo Only when Russia understands that time is not on their side and the cost of aggression will rise on the frontline through military aid for Ukraine – which Estonia is giving – and through sanctions and economic pressure on Moscow, will there be any results. What do you make of drones in this war? The role of drones in modern warfare is definitely one of the key lessons of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Different drone types have different tasks, so they have brought almost limitless combinations for their use on the battlefield. Staying ahead of developments is now more important than ever. 'I don't see Russia being serious in negotiations. The only way to get fair peace for Ukraine is through additional pressure on Russia' . Do you have any evidence that Russia is planning a physical attack against Estonia in the near future? We in Estonia through our intelligence work have been able to obtain information about Russia's military plans – separate from defence plans – against the West. They have actually had those plans for years, from the 1990s. This is nothing new for us. We know what we should be prepared for. We know what to expect. But if you are asking whether we have an imminent, clear and present danger, then I am saying no. Because we are well prepared. We are in Nato. And Russian manpower and military equipment are being destroyed on the Ukrainian front because Ukrainians are defending their own country ferociously. But as I mentioned, if Russia gets peace on their terms, the situation beyond our border can start to change rather rapidly. It seems that Russia is testing Nato's resolve to invoke Article 5 or even Article 4 through tactics below a certain threshold across the region. Has Nato responded to these sufficiently? Outside Ukraine, we have reacted absolutely well. Measures for vessels in the Baltic Sea, to protect undersea infra, our intel services are working well together to catch and thwart saboteurs targeting assets on Western soil. How to measure how successful we have been? Well, we are living in peace. With fears lingering that Trump might completely pull US support for Ukraine, do you think European members of Nato can step up and fill that gap? US support for Ukraine has been absolutely important throughout the years of Russian aggression. I think US has seen, as we all, that this aggression has connections to other regions as well. Russia is supported by China, and we are already in Asia with that connection. So, if we want to face the threats in the Indo-Pacific region, then we have to deal with this aggression in Ukraine as well. You can't just ignore and leave saying now I am going to fire fight the fire at the other side of the house although the fire is still burning on this side of the building. So, it's logical that we continue to support Ukraine collectively. Which also makes it clear that Europe needs to do more. To not only invest in our own defence but also help Ukraine more. If we are talking about possible security guarantees – again, I would continue to say never trust Russia – for peace then Kyiv's allies and friends from different regions need to do more. Estonia is ready to allocate also military units, which will be relevant to our compact size. We will be inside those forces because what is happening in Ukraine is important for security in our region Russia and China seem to have formed an unbreakable compact. What is Europe's gameplan for Beijing? Well, it's not unbreakable. I sometimes compare it to interests of criminal activists. When their interests are matching, then they cooperate. When one of the group members feels that the leader is not suitable anymore, a struggle can start among them. I think we in Europe have become more realistic about looking on China and that will also shape our foreign policy in the future.
The Print
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Print
Estonia courting India with eye on strategic tech ties, from robotics to cybersecurity & AI
The Baltic European nation of 1.3 million people, which is set to increase its defence investment to 5.4 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 2026, is moving forward in areas such as unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and other tools, which could potentially be of interest to the Indian military. Estonian officials—from defence to foreign affairs ministries—are focusing on building ties with India, drawing on their over 18 years of experience in countering Russian cyber attacks as a model for their engagement with New Delhi. Tallinn: Estonia is looking to strengthen cooperation with India in a range of strategic technologies, from unmanned vehicles for the Indian armed forces to cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Kaimo Kuusk, Estonia's Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, said cooperating with India is essential due to the 'shared values' between New Delhi and Tallinn such as India's adherence to international law and its democratic traditions. 'We need to cooperate between the countries that share the values. We definitely will not accept any violence. When we are talking about changing the borders, we are not accepting terrorism as a tool. So countries that are clicking all those boxes, yes, we are on the same understanding, should cooperate more together,' Kuusk told ThePrint. Estonia regained its independence with the fall of the USSR in 1991, and has since joined the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The country is home to NATO's Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence and has many cybersecurity firms, including CybExer and CR-14, both of which provide cyber ranges for training cybersecurity forces across the world. Also read: Estonia to India—e-voting resulted in efficient elections, faster counting. But how safe is it Unmanned ground vehicles & robotics One area where Estonia has seen considerable growth in recent years is robotics, specifically unmanned ground vehicles. Estonia's Milrem Robotics, a market leader for light unmanned ground vehicles unveiled THeMIS, its advanced multi-role defence platform a few years ago. The platform has since been deployed by the Ukrainian forces on the frontline and has also attracted interest from the Indian military. Around 15 THeMIS unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) are currently deployed in Ukraine, which has been defending its territory from Russia for more than 3 years. They are used for casualty evacuation and logistics on the frontlines of Eastern Ukraine. The platform is currently under trial in around 20 countries. THeMIS, was showcased in India at the Defence Expo 2022 by Bharat Forge Limited (BFL), in partnership with Milrem. 'So, I think they [Indian Army] have seen how they're being used in the battlefields of Ukraine and this has caused them to accelerate their thinking. I think they've always had a longer-term view about adopting unmanned ground vehicles, but that has just been brought forward slightly,' Paul Clayton, the Industrial Partnership Director at Milrem Robotics told ThePrint. 'And I think they're looking at various different sizes and scales of vehicles to be able to link up and be compatible with different elements of the armed forces,' he added. 'We are absolutely clear that if we're going to get into the Indian market, we need a very good Indian partner to be working with. And we would see all of our manufacturing going on in India and that's what we're exploring at the moment, which is exciting.' Milrem is looking at building its vehicles in India with a local partner, given the potential market—the Indian armed forces—is 'very large', Clayton said. The firm is also developing several models, which could be of interest to the Indian military, including larger unmanned ground vehicles, weighing 20 tonnes with speeds up to 100 km per hour. 'That's very suited to your mechanised and motorised forces. We've got an 8×8 vehicle, we've got another one which is tracked, which are both in development at the moment and those would fit in very well with your infantry and armoured formations in the future,' said Clayton. Estonian firms such as 5.0 Robotics are also looking to expand to the Indian market, with their field manufacturing systems that are capable of building or repairing parts needed for military equipment close to the frontlines. The war between Russia and Ukraine has pushed Estonia's technology sector into building dual-use products, but its small size forces its companies to look abroad for markets. '[We have] selected 20 priority markets for exports and FDI…and India, of course, is one of them. In each of these 20 countries, we select focus sectors,' Priit Kallakas, Director General of Economic Diplomacy at Estonia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told an Indian media delegation last week. 'In the Indian case, the focus sectors are everything related to ICT. Then there is defence, and also energy and food,' he added. Cyber security Estonia is famous for its e-governance systems, as a result of which cybersecurity has become an integral part of its national security strategy. Around 99 percent of all Estonian government services are available digitally, which has resulted in Tallinn and private companies in Estonia focusing on building adequate security infrastructure. In April 2007, the Baltic state faced repeated denial-of-service incidents, shutting down its government websites, following its decision to move a Soviet-era war memorial from the centre of Tallinn. The attacks, which officials have said likely emanated from Moscow, were the first instance of a nation's cyber systems coming under attack by foreign actors. In recent years, cyber attacks have become common across the globe, with reports of Indian government websites coming under attack during Operation Sindoor earlier this month. Estonia has, for the past 18 years, been building its capacity to mitigate cyber attacks. In 2023, India's National Security Council and Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) partnered with the private Estonian company CybExer to build a 'cyber range'. The range was used for five days to simulate consistent attacks against India's cyber infrastructure, and over 1,500 teams participated in the exercise. 'So I would also now, maybe on the bilateral [ties] between Estonia and India, mention a few things. We had a very good historic meeting between our President Karis and Prime Minister Modi that was during this AI Summit in Paris [in February], so very relatable to the topics we just spoke about. And of course, the e-governance, cyber and digital security issues were also talked about in the agenda,' Minna-Liina Lind, the Vice-Minister for Global Affairs in Estonia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the Indian media last week. The Vice-Minister added: 'And we have already established quite a good bilateral contact on this. I know that my colleague, our Cyber Ambassador [Tanel Sepp], is also often in touch, and also we have these consultations happening both here and in India. And we have three new agreements in the defense industry, since only in the past year, which have been concluded.' (Edited by Sugita Katyal) Also Read: 'India should use its growing power to push Russia to end aggression in Ukraine'—Estonian PM
