Estonia's future defense minister named the shortest timeframe for ending the war in Ukraine
Estonia’s incoming Minister of Defense, Martin Herrem, believes that Russia’s war against Ukraine could end in about six months at the earliest. At the same time, he warned that once the war ends, Russia could relatively quickly pose a threat to other countries in the region.
According to Estonia’s incoming defense minister, it is currently difficult to predict exactly when the hostilities in Ukraine will end.
“When might the war in Ukraine end? Probably not tomorrow, but we need to set some kind of timeframe, and I believe it could happen within half a year—or perhaps within three years. But what is the shortest timeframe? I would say six months,” Herrmann said.
Thus, he cited six months as the shortest realistic timeframe for the war’s end, while acknowledging that the conflict could last significantly longer—up to three years.
Herrrem emphasized that Estonia needs to start preparing now for a possible Russian attack after the war in Ukraine ends.
In his view, Moscow could have the opportunity to rebuild its military capabilities and launch a new front of aggression relatively quickly.
“How long will it take Russia to launch a full-scale war against us? I still believe it won’t take more than six months,” said Estonia’s future defense minister.
Thus, according to his assessment, only about half a year may pass between the end of the war in Ukraine and a potential new Russian aggression against NATO countries.
Martin Herrem believes that Estonia and NATO as a whole must prepare for a possible Russian attack much more quickly.
He noted that the current pace of preparation is insufficient, and the allies need to accelerate these processes.
According to Herrmann, security risks from Russia will not disappear even if the war against Ukraine ends, so preparations for a possible new conflict must begin in advance.
Herrem spoke about this in an interview with the Estonian media outlet ERR.
The most realistic scenario for ending the war—or at least ceasing hostilities—could be a freeze along the actual front line at the time an agreement is reached, provided that Ukraine is given security guarantees. At the same time, Ukraine will not agree to legally recognize the relinquishment of the occupied territories.
Earlier, Kirill Budanov stated that Ukraine would intensify strikes on Russian territory if the Kremlin does not end the war. According to him, Russia “will feel this firsthand.”
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