Today, 13 April, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that, according to Ukraine, Russia violated the Easter ceasefire with more than 10,000 attacks, once again proving Russia’s brutality, lack of respect for holidays and desire to continue its military aggression.
“According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Russian forces violated the agreed Easter ceasefire a total of 10,721 times over a 32-hour period. At least two people were killed and several others injured in these attacks. Russia has once again shown its true face and demonstrated that it is not prepared to halt its military actions even during holidays,” Tsahkna said.
“Moreover, Ukraine proposed a permanent ceasefire last week, which could be followed by negotiations on a lasting peace. Clearly, Russia is not interested in that either,” Tsahkna added.
According to the foreign minister, in light of this, Ukraine’s partners must continue to increase pressure on Russia and provide comprehensive support to Ukraine in order to bring Russia seriously to the negotiating table.
“The European Union still has on its agenda the 20th sanctions package, the allocation of a €90 billion loan to Ukraine, and Ukraine’s accession process to the European Union. The expectation is that, following yesterday’s elections in Hungary, we will soon be able to move forward on all these issues,” Tsahkna said.
“Developments in the Middle East are also closely linked to Ukraine. On the one hand, the conflict in the Middle East has given Ukraine an opportunity to demonstrate its military capabilities and build new partnerships. Ukraine’s offer of assistance to the Gulf states against Iranian drones shows that it has expertise and experience that no one else possesses. On the other hand, it is crucial that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened and that global oil prices fall, as this would reduce the revenues flowing into Russia’s state budget, which it uses to continue its aggression,” the foreign minister added.
Additional information:
Communication Department
[email protected]
vm.ee/en | @MFAestonia