*Most publications write about the refusal of Russia's Foreign Ministry to submit the Russian-Estonian border treaty for ratification to the lower house of parliament.
The ministry's refusal is interpreted as blackmail and Moscow making an all-or-nothing gamble. "Russia's conduct may be regarded as blackmail: Brussels, give us a simplified visa regime and we, among other things, will ratify border treaties with Estonia." (Postimees, June 27.) "Very soon Europe will start explaining to us that the wise are the first to give in, after which Estonia will sign a treaty without any additional declarations, which is what Russia wants." (Delfi, June 27.)
A number of analytical articles are devoted to the "sick" (as the local media describe it) state of Russia's economy, which the press associates with the ..........
........... lack of political will to conduct the necessary reforms on the part of the Russian leadership. "The equanimity of the Russian authorities in the face of the growing concern over their confused economic policy is beginning to look like a serious delusion. Russia today is struggling without success both with a sharp rise of inflation and with the painful strengthening of the ruble, which is the price of passive growth for many years driven by high oil prices." (Delfi, June 22.)
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