Toomas Hendrik Ilves, former president of Estonia from 2006 to 2016, talked to N1 Television's Ivana Dragicevic on Monday and offered his views on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Ilves served two terms as Estonia’s head of state, and is widely regarded as the father of Estonia’s digital transformation. After leaving office in 2016, Ilves had many advisor roles in international organizations as well as the private sector, mainly related to efforts to digitize public administrations and promote tech start-ups.

As an active creator of Estonia’s foreign and security policies, he is known to have been wary of his country’s eastern neighborhood, and has often warned the West, the EU and NATO about the need to stand firmly against Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

In a conversation with Ivana Dragicevic, Ilves shared his thoughts about the Russian invasion on Ukraine. He said that the West was hesitant about Putin for too long, not taking the Russian threat seriously, and that the steep price the West now has to pay to defeat Putin will involve bans on Russia’s oil and gas.

The war in Ukraine will irreversibly change Europe’s and the global security infrastructure, Ilvas told N1, adding that Putin should answer before a court for his actions.

For the full interview, click the video below.