Estonian Prime Minister begs companies to reject deals with Russia

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that local companies are entering into secret agreements with Moscow, which is why she has to “beg” them to refuse deals. According to her, such cooperation could lead to Russia gaining access to sanctioned goods.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Kallas notedthat profitable trade with the Russian Federation attracts companies in the Baltic countries, despite the sanctions and the position of local authorities regarding the Ukrainian conflict.

The Estonian prime minister said she had to ‘beg’ local companies to find ‘moral guidelines’ and back out of deals that could give Moscow access to sanctioned goods.

In addition, Kallas accused local companies of hypocrisy. The prime minister noted that they “talk loudly” about Ukraine, Russia and security, but in fact they secretly negotiate with Moscow.

The EU banned the transit of its goods through Russia in February as part of the 10th round of sanctions. However, the Baltic countries are interested in a more comprehensive set of rules. According to Kallas, the easiest way would be to completely ban the transit of certain products through the Russian Federation, but the prime minister fears that in this case “it will simply go somewhere else.”