Deals with dictators lead to hell: Estonia’s PM urges Europe to help Ukraine destroy Russia’s refineries after Washington eased sanctions on diesel

Estonia's Prime Minister, Kirsan Michal, has warned that deals with dictators can lead to disastrous consequences, urging the European Council to help Ukraine destroy Russia's oil refineries. The US has recently eased sanctions on Russian diesel, a decision that has fuelled the war in Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of over 80 civilians in just two days. Estonia argues that Europe should focus on strengthening aid to Ukraine, helping it to target Russia's oil refineries instead.

Michal criticizes the US agreement with Russia as a historic mistake, warning that innocent lives are being lost due to fuel and gas money. He insists that the promised fuel may never arrive, and Europe must continue cutting Russia's revenue by not reversing their stance on Russian fuel. Mihkelson, the chair of Estonia's Foreign Affairs Committee, states that Russia's strategic goals have not changed: to rebuild its empire by subjugating Ukraine and dismantling the Euro-Atlantic system of collective defense.

This, he believes, is why European allies must do everything in their power to prevent Russia's war aims from succeeding and the Kremlin's aggression from escalating.

Mihkelson also highlights that Russia's long-standing ambition, shared with China and Iran, is to undermine America's global leadership and that this phase is proving to be decisive. He argues that these strategic objectives should also serve US interests, as Russia's efforts to undermine American leadership are becoming increasingly threatening.