Former Estonian president speaks about the war in Ukraine and the way forward

At the home of Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who served as the fourth president of Estonia from 2006 until 2016. (Nora Lorek for NPR)

VILJANDIMAA, Estonia — Just a couple hours' drive from the border with Russia, the former president of Estonia lives on the farm his family built in the 1700s — a farm whose occupants were forced to flee in times of conflict, and which now serves as a refuge for victims of another war.

Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who served as Estonia's president from 2006 to 2016, has long acted as a prominent voice warning about the dangers of Russian aggression.