"This is Putin's trap": Estonia's Prime Minister urged Europe not to discuss Russia's demands

Attempts by Russia to include a revision of the European security system in negotiations for peace in Ukraine represent a trap, believes Estonia's Prime Minister Kristen Mihal. In his opinion, European countries should focus on strengthening Kyiv's positions rather than discussing Moscow's demands. As reported by BNS, Mihal made this statement on Friday at an informal meeting of the European Council in Dublin, addressing the leaders of European states. > "Putin wants us to discuss his wishlist instead of striving for peace in Ukraine. We have nothing to discuss with Russia regarding the architecture of European security; it works perfectly," said the Estonian Prime Minister. According to Mihal, if Europe is to change the existing security system, it should only be in the direction of expanding the EU and NATO at the expense of Ukraine and stopping Russian aggression. > "Let’s focus on the main thing — on peace in Ukraine — and not allow Putin's will-o'-the-wisps to divert us from our path," he emphasized. ### Who represents Europe in negotiations Mihal also touched upon the issue of European countries' participation in the peace process. According to him, Europe in the negotiations is represented by EU institutions and the so-called E5 group, which includes France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom. At the same time, coordinating a common position among EU states remains the task of the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and the European Commission. Thus, despite the participation of individual major European countries in the negotiations, the overall EU position must be formed jointly. ### Estonia will allocate an additional 6.5 million euros to Ukraine Alongside diplomatic negotiations, Russia continues to strike Ukraine, Mihal reminded. He warned that the upcoming winter will be particularly harsh for the country, so European assistance remains necessary. > "While active discussions about peace are taking place in various capitals, Russia continues to attack Ukraine. A very difficult winter awaits Ukraine," said the Prime Minister. Estonia has decided to allocate an additional 6.5 million euros to Ukraine. Of this amount, 4.5 million euros are earmarked for sending locomotives, while another 2 million will go to the post-war recovery program SPUR 2.0. Thus, support for Kyiv includes not only defense issues but also assistance in ensuring the operation of infrastructure. ### Europe does not want to depend on foreign artificial intelligence Another topic of discussion among European leaders was the development of artificial intelligence and competition with the US and China. The discussion included Arthur Mench, head of the French company Mistral, and AI researcher Professor Geoffrey Hinton. Mihal warned that the European Union risks becoming dependent on foreign technologies if it does not develop its own solutions. > "We should not replace dependence on imported fossil fuels with dependence on foreign artificial intelligence," he stated. According to the Estonian Prime Minister, Europe has two significant advantages — a single market and large volumes of data. However, to utilize them, it is necessary to facilitate investments in technology companies and provide them with access to computing power. Among the promising areas, Mihal highlighted robotics, unmanned transport, and the application of AI in healthcare. He called for particular attention to the safety of new technologies, including independent testing of the most powerful AI models. > "We must already be thinking about how to independently test the most powerful models and ensure they remain under human control," noted the Prime Minister. Ultimately, the meeting in Dublin discussed two strategic issues for Europe: maintaining autonomy in security and reducing technological dependence on other world powers.