We Shall Go Forward Together 

As the old world order is falling apart, countries struggle to define what the guiding principles of the new order should be. In difficult times, it is useful to draw lessons from the past. In 1942, with the Allies facing many setbacks in their war efforts, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill returned to a familiar theme of coalition against tyranny, telling an audience in Leeds, “We shall go forward together.” Similarly, this year’s Lennart Meri Conference focused on the importance of allies and alliances in shaping the world.  

The key questions underlying most discussions have been what will happen in Ukraine and how to make sure that Europe is ready to defend itself against a Russian attack. Both questions are extremely difficult to answer, as many processes are on the way but do not yet suggest a clear strategy. Most likely, the war will not end anytime soon, because Russia is not ready for it, and the negotiations might last decades, like the peace process in the Middle East. The majority of the guests agreed that Russia will remain aggressive, unless there is a dramatic shift in the country.  

The LMC started with a discussion on the upcoming NATO Summit in the Hague. As NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska said, the aim of the Summit is to have a stronger, fairer, and more lethal Alliance. Throughout the different panels, the Foreign Ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland all confirmed that we are on the way to achieving those goals. It was reassuring for the enthusiasts of the strong transatlantic bond to hear US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker confirm that the US remains committed to NATO. 

The conference also looked at the state of relations between European countries—it was great to be reminded by EU High Representative and Vice-President Kaja Kallas that Europe’s attractiveness is what makes us strong. Throughout the rest of the panels and Chatham House discussions, it became clear that Europe stands ready to defend its values. While the rest of the world might think in terms of allies, enemies, and interests, Europe still stands for fundamental values. The question is whether the EU is able to defend those values internally and externally.  

As the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Radosław Sikorski, said, we will dwarf Russia in terms of military spending, and it is true that most likely, Russia does not realise that it has woken up a giant. The same idea was carried forward by the Chief of Defence of Estonia, Major General Andrus Merilo, who explained that there is no need for Europeans to panic—we need to prepare instead, because we are already at war and we are ready. Not everybody agreed that Europe is acting at the speed of relevance. Jack Watling explained that our failure to invest in the supply chain early is costing Ukrainian lives now and reducing the effectiveness of the equipment we are providing. This will be even worse for us when we have to fight.  

A theme featuring in several discussions was the idea that some countries in Europe might be able to join neither NATO nor the EU and will therefore remain in the grey zone not to irritate Russia. As Foreign Minister of Estonia, Margus Tsahkna, said, grey zones have always been perceived as a green light by Russia, who sees them as belonging to its sphere of influence. Vice President and Foreign Minister of Foreign Affairs of Moldova, Mihai Popșoi, hit the nail on the head when he explained his worries about the talk of territorial concessions. He believes any territorial concession is a slippery slope to never-ending anxiety, never-ending harassment, and never-ending undermining of rules-based order.  

Another question that gained significant attention throughout different panels was the relationship between Russia and China. Everyone agreed that China is helping Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine: 70% of Russia’s industrial output is guaranteed by Chinese machinery. We have seen Chinese ships damage underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea twice already but have failed to make sure the true perpetrators are held accountable.  While Russia might be gaining more from this relationship in the short run, China benefits greatly in the long run. The question is why we let China get away with it, especially since the Indo-Pacific and European theatres are increasingly interlinked and China is learning from the war in Ukraine. As both Gabrielius Landsbergis and Matthew Kroenig said, a Chinese military attack on Taiwan will be an enormous challenge for the entire world, impacting global order, global economy, and technology.  

Finally, President of Finland Alex Stubb summed up the discussions well by explaining that one should deal with foreign policy as it is—not how one wishes it were. That is why it is important that we keep engaging with our allies and that we remain willing to turn up for allies, willing to spend money on defence, and willing to defend our own countries, as stressed by the President of Estonia, Alar Karis.  

The ICDS and the Lennart Meri European Foundation organise the annual Lennart Meri Conference to acknowledge President Meri’s continuing legacy in foreign and security policy thinking. The LMC aims to encourage curiosity and debate, highlight unity and diversity, and foster liberty and democracy. Every year since 2007, it has brought together around 500 distinguished policymakers, analysts, politicians, military personnel, and thought leaders from around the globe in Tallinn. 

DefsecIntel and Helsing were the main sponsors of LMC 2025. Other partners and supporters were the Estonian Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Government Office, as well as NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division, the Open Society Foundation, Saab, Swedbank, Postimees, Milrem Robotics, Infortar, Palo Alto Networks, Sunly, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, the National Endowment for Democracy, the US government, the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation, and the European Commission. Elering is an ICDS research partner.