Estonian PM says Israel should push back on Putin’s ‘de-Nazification’ claims

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas says Israel should more strongly condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin’s false claim that he is seeking to “de-Nazify” Ukraine as a pretense for Russia’s invasion.

In an interview with the Walla news site, Kallas declines to criticize Israel overall for its careful stance on the ongoing war and attempts to not alienate Moscow.

“Every country decides on their own policies,” she says. “I understand that President Zelensky has asked your prime minister to be the mediator, so you can’t be a mediator if you have chosen a side in this war, so I understand where you are coming from.”

Kallas says it is important that “we are on the right side of history,” but adds that it is “really not up to me to say” if Israel should be doing more to assist Ukraine.

However, she adds, “one thing that is very specific to Israel is that Putin is using this argument of de-Nazification, and I think this deeply undermines the sufferings of your people, and you could be more vocal about this, saying that this is not OK, it’s really playing on the suffering that the Jews have had.”