Estonian Foreign Minister comments on West’s response to Russian nuclear blackmail

Urmas Reinsalu made the statement in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

"It (the fear of nuclear weapons - ed.) is greater than during the Cold War. During the Cold War, our generation, our parents and grandparents, in our Western community, knew that we should not surrender to nuclear terror. And I think this should be the basis of our nuclear concept today," Reinsalu said.

The Estonian foreign minister emphasizes that the nuclear threat can be used as an excuse to give up something, and then you lose the psychological ground under your feet.

"Of course, different countries have different points of view on certain nuances in this context. But during this war, Russia has already voiced such threats regarding nuclear weapons that even Leonid Brezhnev did not allow himself to make. It should be understood that in their opinion, this is their only leverage over Western governments - to use such a psychological operation," Reinsalu added.

• Vladimir Putin said that a storage facility for Russian tactical nuclear weapons will be completed in Belarus by July 1.

• The Institute for the Study of War reported that Putin announced the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus in order to intimidate the West and reduce the effectiveness of Ukraine's counteroffensive.

• NSDC Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said that the placement of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus will make Putin more unpopular in Belarus. Mykhailo Podolyak noted that this step proves that Putin is afraid of losing the war.

• Vladimir Putin said that a storage facility for Russian tactical nuclear weapons will be completed in Belarus by July 1.

• The Institute for the Study of War reported that Putin announced the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus in order to scare the West and reduce the effectiveness of Ukraine's counteroffensive.

• Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, said that the placement of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus makes Putin more unpopular in Belarusian society. Mykhailo Podolyak noted that this step proves that Vladimir Putin is afraid of losing the war.

• The German Foreign Ministry criticized Russia's placement of nuclear weapons in Belarus and called it "an intimidation attempt."

• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reacted to Russia's intentions to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus and demanded to convene the UN Security Council.

• In turn, the head of diplomacy of the European Union, Josep Borrell, said that if the Russian Federation deploys nuclear weapons in Belarus, the EU will introduce new sanctions.

• The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs called such an intention of the Russian president a step towards further drawing the country into the military machine.

• The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry called for additional economic restrictions against Moscow and Minsk to be included in the new EU sanctions package because of the Kremlin's statements about the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus.