Estonia Summons Russian Envoy over Putin Remarks about Tsar Peter

Estonia summoned the Russian ambassador to condemn President Vladimir Putin's "completely unacceptable" praise for Tsar Peter the Great.

Putin paid tribute on Thursday to Tsar Peter the Great, an 18th-century Russian ruler who captured a city that is now Estonian. He specifically mentioned Narva, which belongs to Estonia, one of the three Baltic States and a NATO member.

Estonia's foreign minister said Ambassador Vladimir Lipayev had been summoned "to condemn recent statements by President Putin ... including his comments on the Estonian city of Narva," it said in a statement.

"At a time when Russia is ... trying to destroy the statehood and people of Ukraine, it is also completely unacceptable," it added.

Last week, Putin compared Peter's campaign with the task facing Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February.

“Peter the Great waged the great northern war for 21 years. It would seem that he was at war with Sweden, he took something from them. He did not take anything from them, he returned [what was Russia’s],” Putin said on Thursday after seeing an exhibition dedicated to the tsar.

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“Apparently, it also fell to us to return [what is Russia’s] and strengthen [the country]. And if we proceed from the fact that these basic values form the basis of our existence, we will certainly succeed in solving the tasks that we face,” the Russian leader said.

Estonia was part of the Russian empire for more than two centuries before gaining its independence in 1918. In 1940 the Soviet Union annexed the country, which did not regain its independence until 1991.