Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has downplayed the risks associated with NATO sending troops to Ukraine for training and acknowledged that some NATO soldiers are already there.
Kallas said that if Russia attacked NATO trainers, it wouldn’t automatically trigger Article 5, which outlines the alliance’s mutual defense commitments.
“I can’t possibly imagine that if somebody is hurt there, then those who have sent their people will say ‘it’s Article 5. Let’s … bomb Russia.’ It is not how it works. It’s not automatic. So these fears are not well-founded,” Kallas said, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
She said that “there are countries who are training soldiers on the ground already” and are doing so at their own risk.
Since the early days of the war, it’s been an open secret that a small number of NATO special operations forces are inside Ukraine. The Discord Leaks revealed that as of March 2023, there were 97 NATO special operations soldiers in the country.
All the way back in April 2022, The Times of London reported that British Special Air Service soldiers were training Ukrainian soldiers on anti-tank weapons outside of Kyiv. This year, a German military leak revealed British soldiers are “on the ground” in Ukraine helping fire the long-range Storm Shadow missiles.
But what NATO countries have been discussing recently regarding sending troops to Ukraine would be a larger, public deployment. The New York Times reported last week that Ukraine has asked NATO to send troops to train 150,000 fresh recruits they’re hoping to mobilize.
The US has said it has “no plans” to send a training force to Ukraine, but Estonia, Lithuania, and France have all expressed interest in deploying troops. Despite Kallas’ comments, such a deployment would mark a huge escalation in NATO involvement in the war and would significantly increase the chances of a direct clash between the alliance and Russia, which could quickly turn nuclear.
Baltic people really believe Putin as its New Stalin. He’s not. If you’ve read any actual history, you will know this. But there are others in Russia who would like a New Stalin; it’s possible he can be chivvied into acting increasingly like the Despot. The West is becoming more and more polarized; the same is happening in Russia–and China.
They have pretty good reasons to be nervous about Russia.
Ah yes, more of the Putin won’t stop with Ukraine tripe.
By aligning with the US/NATO, those Baltic nations have put themselves front and center in the crosshairs of WW3. The West (represented by that same US/NATO cabal) has designs of Empire in Russian lands- of course gaining control of Russia’s vast resources has absolutely nothing to do with it- and Russia has every reason to believe that eastward expansion of US/NATO influence will not stop until it is forced to stop. Rather than remaining neutral, the Baltic nations have embraced the idea that by joining the US/NATO they will be spared from any unpleasantness should war break out- when in reality all they have done is absolutely guarantee their destruction should war break out.
Not that her Art 5 argument is faulty, but the sheer presumption of this micro country advising real powers about nuclear issues … Estonia is basically like Omaha, N, except for lack of the great university.
“I can’t possibly imagine that if somebody is hurt there, then those who have sent their people will say ‘it’s Article 5. Let’s … bomb Russia.’ It is not how it works. It’s not automatic. So these fears are not well-founded,” Kallas said, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
That article 5 not being automatic also applies to Russia attacking one of these pissant NATO countries that are talking like they actually can defend themselves. Like Estonia.
Fine, let Estonia go ahead and send both their soldiers to Ukraine; and maybe their single guard dog as well. Estonia, like Latvia, is a loudmouth faux country, with an active military 30% smaller than Philadelphia’s municipal police force (FACT; Philadelphia has 6400 police officers; All of Estonia has a whopping 4200 soldiers who are “always ready”. What a clown show), and a “leader” with all the responsibilities of a mid-sized municipal Mayor. Why would anyone take them seriously, or give them airtime?
If the USA, or NATO at large, lets these midget, broke-dick pissant beggar nations dictate, or even influence, policy then we deserve whatever we get. Compared to Estonia, or Latvia, Hungary (often derided as inconsequential, because they disagree with the warmonger’s position) is a military colossus.
But, but, they have ALL of NATO on guard to help them! (sarcasm)
She’s technically right that Article 5 is not automatic, although Article 4 is even more dangerous as has been proven in the past. However, she fails to realize that any incident at all gives the neocon crazies in Washington an excuse to escalate even if the EU doesn’t.
As an aide, not a bad-looking Prime Minister. Can we get one that doesn’t look like Hillary Clinton?
https://www.iri.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/EstoniaPM-08_edited.jpg
Estonia is guilty of a couple of different delusions here, one I believe is partially from decades of “Radio Free Europe” and the like broadcasts that foster Russophobia. The other is that they should feel “safe” because the US, w/NATO, has their back. Apparently, they haven’t noticed what disasters have come about to other countries when accepting US “help”.