Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas urged NATO on Friday to establish a permanent presence in the Baltic state in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine, telling his allies to “open your eyes and stay awake. . . .”

Asked if he would like to see a permanent mission in Estonia, Roivas told Reuters in an interview: “Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania are the border states, and it is only logical that air policing and air defence for example are present on the borders. . . .”

Asked about the risk of antagonizing Moscow further, Riovas said: “Russia has done everything to break all agreements and has been very aggressive… we have the alarm bell ringing in Ukraine and I really believe that now is the time to open your eyes and stay awake. . . .”

Long-term plans include training drills that will consistently keep about 100 U.S. elite troops on the ground at any one time in NATO states close to Russia, with teams working in several countries, a U.S. official said.

Image: Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen (photo: NATO)