INTERNACIONAL
For Putin, ‘US is the main enemy,’ Estonian foreign minister says
TALLINN, ESTONIA – Estonia’s top diplomat thinks Russia’s war on Ukraine goes well beyond the front lines.
«This is not about Europe. I think that for Putin and for Russia, the U.S. is the main enemy, like historically,» Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told Fox News in an exclusive interview in Estonia’s capital, Tallinn.
«He has a plan to restore the Soviet empire, and this is exactly what he’s doing. Ukraine is just one example,» he added.
Nine years ago, Tsahkna, then serving as Estonia’s defense minister, watched as 120,000 Russian soldiers massed just across the border, ready to invade his country in just 48 hours.
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Russian soldiers ride a truck during a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade in St. Petersburg, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
«Now these troops are gone. They were sent to Ukraine, and they are literally dead,» Tsahkna spoke from the foreign ministry Wednesday, where he now serves as Estonia’s top diplomat.
«At the moment, I don’t expect any kind of the full-scale military aggression against NATO because Russia is running out of power in Ukraine, to be honest,» Tsahkna added. «Economically, they’re very weak, but of course, we see that Russia is preparing again.»
Estonia is not taking any chances.
To ward off any potential invasion on NATO’s eastern flank, Estonia recently announced it would spend over 5% of its GDP on defense next year, a goal President Donald Trump has requested from all NATO countries.
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On Wednesday, Estonia officially welcomed the arrival of six HIMARS satellite-guided rocket systems made in the United States. It’s a weapon that has been used in Ukraine effectively, destroying targets up to 186 miles away.
«We have created, as Estonians, the rule that if the U.S. is investing $1, we are adding $10 on top of that. And all this going back to [sic] goes back to the U.S. economy, and we are getting the capabilities,» Tsahkna said.
In recent weeks, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Poland announced they would withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, which bans the use of anti-personnel land mines. Russia, which is not party to the treaty, has deployed mines in the roughly 20% of Ukraine it now occupies.
Estonia is a small country of 1.3 million people located in Eastern Europe, with an area about twice the size of New Jersey, It shares a 214-mile border with Russia.
Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna attends a press conference after a meeting of ministers from the member countries of the Nordic-Baltic Eight on the island of Bornholm, Denmark, April 29, 2025. (Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix)
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, Estonia has cut off all energy imports from Russia. Today, it receives 80% of its natural gas from the United States.
Not all countries have been as defiant. The 27-nation European Union, of which Estonia is a member, has only cut 60% of its energy imports from Russia. Last year, the European Union spent more on Russian oil and gas than aid to Ukraine, according to the Kiel Institute.
The Kremlin is also waging war on another front as well. «Russia is using religion of the church as a tool for their own political goals,» Tsahkna said.
The foreign minister also weighed in on Russia’s proposed three-day ceasefire surrounding its May 9 celebrations marking the end of World War II. «This is not that serious,» Tsahkna replied.
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Since late 2023, nearly a dozen undersea cables in the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland have been cut. Russia is suspected but «it’s very hard to say exactly,» Tsahkna said. Over 14 people from Russia’s so-called shadow fleet have been arrested. China is suspected of carrying out at least one act of sabotage as well.
President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the first time since their Oval Office spat in February. (Vatican and Ukraine Ambassador to Holy See)
NATO deployed warships off the coast of Estonia in January, and since then no cables have been cut, officers told Fox while on two ships in the Gulf of Finland Tuesday.
When asked about the prospects of a ceasefire and eventual end of hostilities in Ukraine, Tsahkna replied with a warning:
«President Trump has said very clearly that he wants to have peace. The Ukraine [sic] people want to have a [sic] peace – and I think that this is something that Putin doesn’t want.»
Tsahkna does not believe Putin would ever use nuclear weapons, calling such a move «political suicide.»
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«He’s just brutal, but also sometimes, from the Western part of the world, we are too weak,» Tsahkna added. «Putin is playing with our fears.»
INTERNACIONAL
Estados Unidos anunció la destrucción de 16 embarcaciones iraníes utilizadas para minar el Estrecho de Ormuz
El Comando Central de Estados Unidos (CENTCOM) anunció este martes que fuerzas estadounidenses destruyeron 16 buques minadores iraníes cerca del Estrecho de Ormuz, en una operación militar que se produce en medio de informaciones de que Teherán está intentando desplegar explosivos navales en uno de los corredores energéticos más importantes del mundo.
Según informó el propio CENTCOM en una publicación difundida en redes sociales, la acción estuvo dirigida contra varias embarcaciones vinculadas con operaciones navales iraníes en la zona.
“Fuerzas estadounidenses eliminaron múltiples embarcaciones navales iraníes, el 10 de marzo, incluidos 16 buques minadores cerca del estrecho de Ormuz”, indicó el comando militar estadounidense.
El organismo acompañó su comunicado con un video en el que se observan ataques contra varias embarcaciones en el mar, seguidos de explosiones que destruyen los barcos. Las imágenes muestran proyectiles impactando contra los objetivos y columnas de humo elevándose desde los buques alcanzados.
El Estrecho de Ormuz conecta el Golfo Pérsico con el océano Índico y constituye uno de los puntos más sensibles del sistema energético global. Aproximadamente una quinta parte del petróleo que se consume en el planeta circula diariamente por esa estrecha vía marítima, utilizada por grandes productores de crudo de la región para exportar sus recursos a los mercados internacionales.
La posibilidad de que se coloquen minas en el área genera preocupación por el impacto que podría tener en la seguridad de la navegación y en el suministro energético mundial. Incluso interrupciones limitadas del tráfico en ese corredor pueden provocar efectos inmediatos en los precios del petróleo y en las cadenas logísticas internacionales.
Horas antes del anuncio del CENTCOM, el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, había informado que el ejército estadounidense había destruido varias embarcaciones relacionadas con estas actividades. En un mensaje difundido en redes sociales, el mandatario aseguró que las fuerzas estadounidenses habían atacado y destruido diez barcos utilizados para colocar minas.
“Me complace informar de que, en las últimas horas, hemos atacado y destruido por completo diez buques o embarcaciones minadores inactivos. ¡Y seguirán otros!”, escribió Trump.
Trump también lanzó una advertencia a Irán sobre las consecuencias de desplegar minas navales en esa ruta estratégica.
“Si por cualquier motivo se colocaran minas y no se retiraran de inmediato, las consecuencias militares para Irán serán de un nivel jamás visto”, afirmó el presidente estadounidense.
En el mismo mensaje, el mandatario añadió que la retirada de cualquier artefacto explosivo que haya podido ser colocado sería interpretada como un gesto positivo.
“Si, por el contrario, retiran lo que hayan podido colocar, será un paso gigantesco en la dirección correcta”, señaló.
Además, Trump indicó que las fuerzas estadounidenses están preparadas para actuar contra cualquier embarcación que participe en operaciones de minado en el estrecho. Según explicó, los buques implicados serían atacados con el mismo tipo de misiles utilizados por Estados Unidos para interceptar embarcaciones del narcotráfico en otras regiones.
“Serán tratados de forma expedita y violenta. ¡CUIDADO!”, advirtió el presidente.
El anuncio sobre la destrucción de los buques minadores se produce en un contexto de guerra regional que ha elevado significativamente las tensiones en Medio Oriente durante las últimas semanas. Desde el inicio de las hostilidades, Irán ha lanzado ataques contra Israel y contra intereses estadounidenses en varios países de la región.
En paralelo, el tráfico marítimo en el Estrecho de Ormuz se ha reducido considerablemente ante el aumento de los riesgos para la navegación, mientras los gobiernos y las compañías navieras siguen de cerca la evolución de la situación en uno de los puntos más estratégicos del comercio global.
(Con información de AFP)
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INTERNACIONAL
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Russia has turned to its so-called «shadow fleet» to carry out a roughly $29.3 million «semi-dark» ship-to-ship oil transfer in the Gulf of Oman, deliberately sidestepping Western sanctions, according to reports.
Maritime intelligence firm Windward AI reported on March 8 that the Russian-flagged tanker M/V TRUST, a vessel already blacklisted by the U.S., European Union and United Kingdom, carried out a «high-probability» covert crude transfer in Omani territorial waters.
Based on an estimated price of about $90 per barrel on March 10, the cargo involved in the transfer was valued at roughly $29.3 million.
«The timing of the operation coincided with heightened military escalation in the Gulf following Operation Epic Fury, suggesting the vessel exploited regional instability to conduct the transfer under reduced scrutiny,» Windward said.
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A crude oil tanker sits anchored in Muscat during the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran in Muscat, Oman, March 6, 2026. (Reuters/Benoit Tessier)
The tanker had previously loaded approximately 325,000 barrels of Russian crude oil at the Russian port of Ust-Luga, Windward said.
Windward described the operation as a «semi-dark» activity, meaning one of the vessels transmitted its automatic identification system (AIS) signal while the other did not.
According to the firm, the M/V TRUST had anchored and switched off its AIS transponder while holding what it called a «prolonged stationary meeting» with another tanker, likely producing an anonymous vessel to transfer cargo process.
TRUMP SAYS IT’S AN ‘HONOR’ TO KEEP STRAIT OF HORMUZ OPEN FOR CHINA AND OTHER COUNTRIES
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets the Russian delegation and some officials ahead of the Istanbul talks May 14, 2025, in Moscow, Russia. (Kremlin Press Office/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A fully «dark» meeting, Windward said, typically involves two vessels not transmitting, but, in this case, only one ship appeared to be broadcasting, creating partial visibility that still complicates tracking efforts.
Such tactics are part of a broader strategy by Moscow to continue exporting crude despite sweeping Western sanctions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The semi-dark oil transfer comes amid heightened volatility in global energy markets tied to the escalating conflict in the Middle East and limited traffic in the Strait of Hormuz given the joint U.S.-Israeli military action against Iran.
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A navy vessel sails in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which much of the world’s oil and gas passes, March 1, 2026. (Sahar Al Attar/AFP via Getty Images)
Oil topped $100 a barrel March 9 as traders priced in the risk that the conflict was disrupting flows through the Strait, which carries about a fifth of global supply, CNBC reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on March 9 that Russia, the world’s second-largest oil exporter and holder of the largest natural gas reserves, stands ready to resume long-term energy cooperation with European customers if they choose to return, Reuters reported.
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Meanwhile, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that Russia «should not be involved» in the escalating conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran.
His comments followed reports suggesting Moscow may be providing intelligence support to Tehran, though the Kremlin has not publicly confirmed the claims.
On Russia’s ship-to-ship semi-dark cargo transfer amid the ongoing conflict, Windward highlighted «operational blind spots that enable illicit maritime activity to proceed largely uninterrupted.»
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