Dear members of the Defence League,
Dear people of Rapla,
friends of Estonia,
and, above all, dear people of Estonia!
“Our country isn’t always perfect. But it’s ours.” That is what some distinguished guests from Ukraine said to me recently, as they described the challenges they face and their fight for independence.
But the same can certainly be said of us – our Estonia is ours.
In the midst of everyday life, we don’t always think about it. Sometimes the state can seem distant too – governments, presidents, authorities.
But what better occasion than Victory Day to remind ourselves that Estonia is nothing more and nothing less than ours. It’s our home, and everyone can have only one. A home we share with our people and where everything is just the way we like it.
I also heard this description of ‘home’ at this year’s Spring Storm exercise, where both conscripts and reservists confirmed that they were taking part in the exercise precisely because of their desire to defend their home, in the broadest sense of the word.
Because if Estonia is ours, then it’s only natural that we should want to protect it.
Dear listeners,
It’s understandable that we’re watching the security situation in the world with concern, as the politics of power threatens the independence of small states and self-interest undermines the unity of our allies.
Understandably, people are left wondering how to deal with this. How can we look to the future with confidence?
The answer is to be found in what we’ve already achieved. And you don’t have to go very far back in time to see that.
I remember very well what Estonia was like five years ago, and how different it was compared to today. Together, we saw how Russia’s brutal military campaign against Ukraine changed the course of our own state.
Over the past five years, we’ve achieved things together that seemed unimaginable at the time.
We have made Estonia’s national defence significantly stronger and more resilient.
By consensus among our political parties, we increased defence spending from 2% to 5%. It was not an easy decision, but it was a necessary one. This has allowed us to procure the necessary weapons and ammunition and develop new military capabilities. We’ve strengthened our border, maritime security and air defence.
Today we can say: Estonia is not seeking confrontation. But we will not surrender our freedom to anyone. We will always protect ourselves.
Estonia is not the only one that has grown stronger. Our Allies, too, now see Russia as we’ve always seen it.
Finland and Sweden have joined NATO. The Alliance has defence plans in place, and the British brigade knows the Estonian forests just as well as many of us do.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the servicemen and women from the United Kingdom, France and the United States who are permanently stationed in Estonia. I would also like to thank the members of the Italian and Portuguese air forces, who safeguarded our airspace last year.
We have also strengthened our economic and energy security.
We ended our dependence on Russian energy and connected our electricity grid to continental Europe. Russia can no longer use energy to influence or put pressure on Estonia.
However, national defence means more than that.
National defence also includes civil protection, crisis preparedness and the functioning of vital services. The Defence Forces, rescuers, the police, local authorities, businesses and communities have joined forces to ensure this.
And the more we talk about national defence, the stronger our preparedness becomes. Heated debates are also a sign of strength in a free country. They show that people care. That Estonia is ours.
Dear people,
These are the achievements of Estonia. These are the achievements of Estonian people. And they have come about through our shared determination.
They’re based on shared responsibility, cooperation and mutual trust. Like it always is at home.
This trust and cooperation is our greatest strength and guarantee of security. Because our opponents don’t have this strength.
Let’s nurture it. Because time waits for no one.
There are always new challenges ahead of us. There is still a great deal of work to be done on the development of unmanned systems and countermeasures against them, including in collaboration with the Ukrainians.
And in addition to the usual threats, our opponents are always catching us off guard with new and unexpected challenges.
The need to be prepared never goes away. The need for bold decisions never goes away. However, recent years have showed what we’re capable of. They have confirmed that our future, too, is ours.
Dear people,
On this special day, it’s fitting to emphasise that people are at the heart of national defence.
Let us therefore thank all those who wear uniforms and stand up for Estonia’s freedom and security.
Members of the Defence Forces and the Defence League, police officers, border guards and rescue workers. Those who have taken on direct responsibility for national defence.
But let us also thank those who stand up for Estonia without wearing a uniform.
Those who teach our children, set up businesses, advance science and technology, keep vital services running, and help our people in times of crisis.
Because the person standing at the gate is not the only one who defends a home. It is also defended by the people who keep it warm.
Estonia’s strength lies in everyone recognising their role in national defence.
When the willingness to defend goes hand in hand with the willingness to support. And when every one of us feels that Estonia is theirs.
Dear people of Estonia, as Head of State, I wish you a happy Victory Day and a joyful Midsummer Eve for the last time.
Let us cherish and protect our families, our loved ones and our homes – in both the narrow and the broader sense.
Estonia is ours.
And may our state always be free.
