Dear members of the Defense League, dear friends of Estonia, beloved people of Estonia,

I greet you here in Pärnu on the occasion of Victory Day! Our summer capital is a most fitting place for the Victory Day parade. At every step today, we are reminded that Pärnu is the birthplace of the Republic of Estonia. It was here that our people's boldest and most righteous decision was declared: to be and to remain independent. And it is near Pärnu, in Tori, that we light our Victory Flame each year — a flame that celebrates not only our people's triumphs, but also our ancient joy in midsummer and the holiday of jaanipäev.

Unfortunately, history showed that the wish expressed in the original independence manifesto — to remain neutral and impartial — was a naive hope. After restoring our independence, we chose a different path to ensure the defense and security of our state. Remembering the consequences of inaction, we chose action; remembering the cost of isolation, we chose security alliances.

Today's global picture, along with Russia's intent to disrupt the world order we know and trust, reminds us daily just how right those choices were.

So, dear people, I want to emphasize today: we are on the right path.

First, strengthening our defense capabilities is the right path.

Soon, the Estonian people will be dedicating 5 percent of the nation's wealth annually to national defense. With this, we will provide the Defense Forces with the arms and equipment to ensure we are never easily overrun, but rather, that we can stop and cripple the enemy's war machine right on its own doorstep if necessary. We are building a defense line at our own and NATO's entire eastern border, where enemy attack plans will falter from the very first meter. We are increasingly producing ammunition and combat equipment domestically, both for ourselves and for our allies. I support the commander of the Defense Forces in his efforts to develop our defenders and improve their service conditions. Surveys show that the Estonian people increasingly respect the military profession and trust our Defense Forces and the Defense League.

But public trust is a precious asset — it is hard won and easily lost. So we must ensure the people that every euro spent on national defense — now more than ever before — is directly used to improve Estonia's security.

Fellow citizens,

Securing our alliances is also the right path.

Independent defense capability must go hand-in-hand with military alliances. Never again do we intend to stand alone. I would like to thank the soldiers — men and women — from the United Kingdom, France and the United States who are permanently stationed here in Estonia and are present on parade today. I also thank the air force personnel from Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal who protected our airspace last year.

Together, we are working so that at the upcoming NATO summit tomorrow and the day after, all NATO allies decide to significantly increase their defense spending. Our joint defense plans demand this of us. And the threat from the east — one that confronts us all equally and unites us — demands this of every ally. As I have repeatedly emphasized before: a militarily strong NATO requires a militarily strong Europe.

To be an ally means Estonia has clearly chosen a side. It means we will not abandon our allies in their time of need. Estonian troops have taken part in dozens of military operations in the Balkans, the Middle East, Africa and the world's oceans. We have swiftly sent police teams to assist our Latvian, Lithuanian and Polish neighbors in fighting off migration attacks on their eastern borders. And if Europe faces a need to defend its collective security on our continent, we must see our participation in that effort as a given.

And finally,

Demonstrating our will to defend is the right path.

The will to defend is like the roots of an oak — hidden deep, but showing its true strength in every storm. Let us be proud today that, according to surveys, more than 80 percent of Estonians express a will to defend. Let us be proud that the membership of the Defense League has grown by nearly a thousand every year since independence was restored, surpassing 30,000 today. Let us be proud of our reservists, who last took part in Exercise Siil (Hedgehog – ed.) as a 18,000-strong capable fighting force. National defense does not ask your age — the oldest soldier in Siil was 84 years old. And it does not ask your gender. Now is the right time to reflect on how we can increase the role of women in the military and conscription.

In a well-defended small state, its society and military are tightly intertwined. National defense is comprehensive, reaching into every home. In this way, we can channel our will to defend not only through military service or uniforms, but also by caring for domestic security, civil protection, crisis preparedness, economic security or community well-being. Because even in building comprehensive national defense, we are on the right path.

Dear people,

The Victory Flame we send out today to the counties symbolizes — through its warmth — our fighting spirit, our alliances and our will to defend. And it calls us to press onward with strength. May the Victory Flame once again unite us this year with its primal force, just as it connects us to our ancestors, to our fighters and to the knowledge of our freedom.

I wish you a meaningful Victory Day and a joyful Midsummer's Eve.

Long live the Defense League, long live free Estonia!

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