Chuck Grassley: “today is Estonian Independence Day. On this day in 1918, the Estonians declared their independence from the Russian…”

“today is Estonian Independence Day. On this day in 1918, the Estonians declared their independence from the Russian Empire. They had to fight a war against both Germans and the Army of Soviet Russia to secure their independence in a treaty in 1920. In that treaty, Russia renounced any claim to Estonian territory and recognized the independence and sovereignty of Estonia forever. Forever lasted only 20 years because the Soviet Union illegally occupied Estonia as well as Latvia and Lithuania for the next 50 years. Ten percent of the population of the Baltic countries was deported or sent to labor camps. The United States always saw the occupation of the Baltics as illegitimate and recognized their sovereignty throughout the entire Cold War. In the depths of the Cold War, it was hard to imagine that the Baltics would ever, ever regain their independence. Today, to the contrary, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are vibrant, prosperous, and free. Of course, that irritates Putin, the KGB dictator of Russia.”