TALLINN — The presidents of Estonia and Latvia attended at the May 9 Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, in an effort to improve the often fraught relations between their tiny countries and their massive neighbor, Russia.

Of the two northern Baltic states, Estonian and Russian relations are the worse. Estonia has been a loud critic of the Nord Stream gas pipeline and Russia’s purchase of the [private_supervisor]helicopter-carrying assault warship Mistral. Meanwhile Prime Minister Andrus Ansip reportedly refused to shake the hand of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at a recent summit in Finland. And even before all this, there were the riots in response to the removal of Tallinn’s Bronze Soldier monument in 2007 and subsequent cyberattack on Estonian government websites from Russia, allegedly coordinated by the Kremlin.

Nonetheless, Russia invited Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves along with his Latvian counterpart Valdis Zatlers to attend.

After witnessing a commemorative military parade in Red Square that included American, British, French, Polish and other nations’ troops, the Baltic presidents attended a grand dinner hosted by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, along with other world leaders. Before leaving Moscow, Ilves told the press that when commemorating the victims of World War II, it is rather out of place to speak of winners and losers, as all the slain were victims of the most destructive war in human history. However, Ilves did not shy away from mentioning the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states.

“We commemorate all of those who lost their lives in battles without dwelling on the uniforms they wore, as these soldiers were also the victims of a war that was unleashed by totalitarian regimes, as were millions of civilians, who perished under bombs, in prisoner camps, and through famine and destitution,” Ilves said. “The end of this hideous war and the defeat of one evil did not, unfortunately, unite Europe, but instead it robbed many countries of their independence and self-governance, and a uniform and peaceful Europe was born only half a century later.”

Along with the Latvian foreign ministry, Ilves praised Medvedev’s recent statements acknowledging the totalitarian nature of the U.S.S.R. and the atrocities committed by Joseph Stalin, a break from Putin’s administration which tended to lionize the achievements of the Soviet era.

In the interview with Estonian Public Television, Ilves said that he go on another state visit to Russia depends on how relations between the former enemies progresses.

“It depends on the climate. At this moment it seems to me that the climate is warming,” said Ilves.

The decision of Ilves and Zatlers to attend the Moscow events was controversial in their home countries, with Estonian and Latvian nationalists accusing the presidents of playing into a Kremlin ploy to split the Baltic states. Despite her efforts at improved relations with its eastern neighbors, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė was not invited to take part in the Moscow commemoration.

Ethnic Russians in Estonia celebrate

While Riga hosted the largest Soviet WWII victory celebration since independence, ethnic Russians in Tallinn gathered to the Defense Forces Cemetery where the Bronze Soldier stands since its combative removal from Tõnismägi in April 2007. Thousands of people led by Nikolai Usbenski, the Russian ambassador to Estonia, marched to the cemetery to place flowers at the statue in celebration for the 65th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s win over Nazi Germany.

About 2,000 people gathered by a WWII memorial along Raadi Lake in Tartu, while a few hundred people celebrated in the country’s third-largest city Pärnu, too. Traffic in all three cities was in a standstill during parts of the day. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]helicopter-carrying assault warship Mistral. Meanwhile Prime Minister Andrus Ansip reportedly refused to shake the hand of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at a recent summit in Finland. And even before all this, there were the riots in response to the removal of Tallinn’s Bronze Soldier monument in 2007 and subsequent cyberattack on Estonian government websites from Russia, allegedly coordinated by the Kremlin.

Nonetheless, Russia invited Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves along with his Latvian counterpart Valdis Zatlers to attend.

After witnessing a commemorative military parade in Red Square that included American, British, French, Polish and other nations’ troops, the Baltic presidents attended a grand dinner hosted by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, along with other world leaders. Before leaving Moscow, Ilves told the press that when commemorating the victims of World War II, it is rather out of place to speak of winners and losers, as all the slain were victims of the most destructive war in human history. However, Ilves did not shy away from mentioning the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states.

“We commemorate all of those who lost their lives in battles without dwelling on the uniforms they wore, as these soldiers were also the victims of a war that was unleashed by totalitarian regimes, as were millions of civilians, who perished under bombs, in prisoner camps, and through famine and destitution,” Ilves said. “The end of this hideous war and the defeat of one evil did not, unfortunately, unite Europe, but instead it robbed many countries of their independence and self-governance, and a uniform and peaceful Europe was born only half a century later.”

Along with the Latvian foreign ministry, Ilves praised Medvedev’s recent statements acknowledging the totalitarian nature of the U.S.S.R. and the atrocities committed by Joseph Stalin, a break from Putin’s administration which tended to lionize the achievements of the Soviet era.

In the interview with Estonian Public Television, Ilves said that he go on another state visit to Russia depends on how relations between the former enemies progresses.

“It depends on the climate. At this moment it seems to me that the climate is warming,” said Ilves.

The decision of Ilves and Zatlers to attend the Moscow events was controversial in their home countries, with Estonian and Latvian nationalists accusing the presidents of playing into a Kremlin ploy to split the Baltic states. Despite her efforts at improved relations with its eastern neighbors, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė was not invited to take part in the Moscow commemoration.

Ethnic Russians in Estonia celebrate

While Riga hosted the largest Soviet WWII victory celebration since independence, ethnic Russians in Tallinn gathered to the Defense Forces Cemetery where the Bronze Soldier stands since its combative removal from Tõnismägi in April 2007. Thousands of people led by Nikolai Usbenski, the Russian ambassador to Estonia, marched to the cemetery to place flowers at the statue in celebration for the 65th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s win over Nazi Germany.

About 2,000 people gathered by a WWII memorial along Raadi Lake in Tartu, while a few hundred people celebrated in the country’s third-largest city Pärnu, too. Traffic in all three cities was in a standstill during parts of the day. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]helicopter-carrying assault warship Mistral. Meanwhile Prime Minister Andrus Ansip reportedly refused to shake the hand of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at a recent summit in Finland. And even before all this, there were the riots in response to the removal of Tallinn’s Bronze Soldier monument in 2007 and subsequent cyberattack on Estonian government websites from Russia, allegedly coordinated by the Kremlin.

Nonetheless, Russia invited Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves along with his Latvian counterpart Valdis Zatlers to attend.

After witnessing a commemorative military parade in Red Square that included American, British, French, Polish and other nations’ troops, the Baltic presidents attended a grand dinner hosted by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, along with other world leaders. Before leaving Moscow, Ilves told the press that when commemorating the victims of World War II, it is rather out of place to speak of winners and losers, as all the slain were victims of the most destructive war in human history. However, Ilves did not shy away from mentioning the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states.

“We commemorate all of those who lost their lives in battles without dwelling on the uniforms they wore, as these soldiers were also the victims of a war that was unleashed by totalitarian regimes, as were millions of civilians, who perished under bombs, in prisoner camps, and through famine and destitution,” Ilves said. “The end of this hideous war and the defeat of one evil did not, unfortunately, unite Europe, but instead it robbed many countries of their independence and self-governance, and a uniform and peaceful Europe was born only half a century later.”

Along with the Latvian foreign ministry, Ilves praised Medvedev’s recent statements acknowledging the totalitarian nature of the U.S.S.R. and the atrocities committed by Joseph Stalin, a break from Putin’s administration which tended to lionize the achievements of the Soviet era.

In the interview with Estonian Public Television, Ilves said that he go on another state visit to Russia depends on how relations between the former enemies progresses.

“It depends on the climate. At this moment it seems to me that the climate is warming,” said Ilves.

The decision of Ilves and Zatlers to attend the Moscow events was controversial in their home countries, with Estonian and Latvian nationalists accusing the presidents of playing into a Kremlin ploy to split the Baltic states. Despite her efforts at improved relations with its eastern neighbors, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė was not invited to take part in the Moscow commemoration.

Ethnic Russians in Estonia celebrate

While Riga hosted the largest Soviet WWII victory celebration since independence, ethnic Russians in Tallinn gathered to the Defense Forces Cemetery where the Bronze Soldier stands since its combative removal from Tõnismägi in April 2007. Thousands of people led by Nikolai Usbenski, the Russian ambassador to Estonia, marched to the cemetery to place flowers at the statue in celebration for the 65th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s win over Nazi Germany.

About 2,000 people gathered by a WWII memorial along Raadi Lake in Tartu, while a few hundred people celebrated in the country’s third-largest city Pärnu, too. Traffic in all three cities was in a standstill during parts of the day. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]helicopter-carrying assault warship Mistral. Meanwhile Prime Minister Andrus Ansip reportedly refused to shake the hand of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at a recent summit in Finland. And even before all this, there were the riots in response to the removal of Tallinn’s Bronze Soldier monument in 2007 and subsequent cyberattack on Estonian government websites from Russia, allegedly coordinated by the Kremlin.

Nonetheless, Russia invited Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves along with his Latvian counterpart Valdis Zatlers to attend.

After witnessing a commemorative military parade in Red Square that included American, British, French, Polish and other nations’ troops, the Baltic presidents attended a grand dinner hosted by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, along with other world leaders. Before leaving Moscow, Ilves told the press that when commemorating the victims of World War II, it is rather out of place to speak of winners and losers, as all the slain were victims of the most destructive war in human history. However, Ilves did not shy away from mentioning the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states.

“We commemorate all of those who lost their lives in battles without dwelling on the uniforms they wore, as these soldiers were also the victims of a war that was unleashed by totalitarian regimes, as were millions of civilians, who perished under bombs, in prisoner camps, and through famine and destitution,” Ilves said. “The end of this hideous war and the defeat of one evil did not, unfortunately, unite Europe, but instead it robbed many countries of their independence and self-governance, and a uniform and peaceful Europe was born only half a century later.”

Along with the Latvian foreign ministry, Ilves praised Medvedev’s recent statements acknowledging the totalitarian nature of the U.S.S.R. and the atrocities committed by Joseph Stalin, a break from Putin’s administration which tended to lionize the achievements of the Soviet era.

In the interview with Estonian Public Television, Ilves said that he go on another state visit to Russia depends on how relations between the former enemies progresses.

“It depends on the climate. At this moment it seems to me that the climate is warming,” said Ilves.

The decision of Ilves and Zatlers to attend the Moscow events was controversial in their home countries, with Estonian and Latvian nationalists accusing the presidents of playing into a Kremlin ploy to split the Baltic states. Despite her efforts at improved relations with its eastern neighbors, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė was not invited to take part in the Moscow commemoration.

Ethnic Russians in Estonia celebrate

While Riga hosted the largest Soviet WWII victory celebration since independence, ethnic Russians in Tallinn gathered to the Defense Forces Cemetery where the Bronze Soldier stands since its combative removal from Tõnismägi in April 2007. Thousands of people led by Nikolai Usbenski, the Russian ambassador to Estonia, marched to the cemetery to place flowers at the statue in celebration for the 65th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s win over Nazi Germany.

About 2,000 people gathered by a WWII memorial along Raadi Lake in Tartu, while a few hundred people celebrated in the country’s third-largest city Pärnu, too. Traffic in all three cities was in a standstill during parts of the day. [/private_subscription 1 year]

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