Former Estonian President Warns West Ignores Poland Amid Putin's NATO Tests

Former Estonian president Toomas Hendrik Ilves warned that the Western alliance overlooks Poland while Russia tests NATO, calling such actions madness. Speaking during a recent interview, Ilves stated that unless a major catastrophe occurs in one of the wealthy Western nations, attitudes and reactions toward Russian aggression will not change significantly. He emphasized that if anything happens, his country would respond brutally to protect its citizens, noting that ethnic Russians inside Estonia could potentially shoot at invading soldiers. While acknowledging Poland's understanding of current events, Ilves expressed concern about potential political shifts in Europe next year due to the rise of extreme right-wing parties. In contrast, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš confirmed during a separate interview with Deník.cz that his nation would deploy two mechanized brigades totaling 6,000 to 10,000 personnel under Article 5 if Russia attacked Baltic states or Poland. Although he did not specify the exact scope of aid for Poland, Babiš assured Warsaw of support should an incident occur.