Recent events posing threats to European and U.S. security, and the upcoming meeting on June 16th bet-ween Presidents Biden and Putin, are the impetus for the June 3rd letter from Estonian American National Council (EANC) President Marju Rink-Abel to President Biden.
It supports two May letters from the Central and East European Coalition (CEEC) to the White House expressing similar concerns and requesting a meeting with senior Administration officials.
The EANC letter is provided below and the CEEC letters are posted at ceecadvocacy.org. Estonian Americans are welcome to contact their lawmakers to share these letters and express their own concerns on issues important to the region. EANC will continue to issue updates on relevant developments from this month’s important meetings.
The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
June 3, 2021
Dear Mr. President:
As the elected representatives of the Estonian American community, the Estonian American National Council (EANC) is concerned over recent events relevant to European and transatlantic security. We believe your decision to waive Nord Stream 2 sanctions, the May 23rd Belarusian diversion of Ryanair flight 4978, and Russian-inspired cyberattacks on U.S. interests in recent weeks carry grave implications for the security of democracy not only in Estonia, but in Europe, the U.S., and elsewhere.
In light of the upcoming G7 and NATO summits, and your June 16th meeting with Russia’s President Putin, we find it critical that the U.S. engage in clear, effective policy to rein in the Kremlin’s continuing efforts to exercise its malign influence in Europe and the U.S. Attempts to curb the Kremlin’s hybrid warfare have so far been disappointing, and it seems tougher policies are necessary to prompt a meaningful change in behavior from the Putin regime. It is clear that Putin does not respect Western norms and values and will continue his aggressive actions until real consequences are imposed.
As a founding member of the Central and East European Coalition (CEEC), EANC asks that you please honor the May 7th request by the CEEC for a meeting between your foreign policy staff for the region and CEEC representatives to discuss our concerns and an effective way forward. I have also enclosed for your reference the CEEC’s May 21st letter outlining our concerns about the waiver of Nord Stream 2 sanctions.
Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to positive developments from your administration.
Sincerely,
Marju Rink-Abel
President
Contact:
Karin Shuey, Washington, DC Director
[email protected]
Cc: The Honorable Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State
The Honorable Jacob J. Sullivan, National Security Advisor
