Today, 12 February, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna met in Tallinn with Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka, who is on a visit to Estonia. The meeting focused on Ukraine’s security situation, EU enlargement, and additional measures to further increase pressure and isolation against Russia, as Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine approaches the four-year mark.
“No country has made such extraordinary efforts on so many fronts,” Tsahkna said. “For four years, Ukrainians have been fighting for their own security and that of Europe as a whole. At the same time, even in wartime, they are implementing reforms to become part of the European Union. Work is also under way to hold Russia accountable for all the atrocities committed in Ukraine. A strong Europe needs Ukraine, just as Ukraine needs us.”
“Russia is bombing civilians and infrastructure that provides electricity, heating and water in the midst of a bitterly cold winter in order to break Ukrainians’ resistance, while at the same time feigning peace negotiations – which is deeply cynical,” Tsahkna said. “As long as Russia’s objective to destroy Ukraine and reshape
Europe’s security has not changed, neither will our policy of isolation and pressure towards Russia,” he stressed. “The European Union’s 20th sanctions package must be adopted as soon as possible. Frozen assets must remain immobilised, and Russia must be held accountable for the crime of aggression it has committed.”
“The only path to a just and lasting peace lies in continued political, economic and military support for Ukraine, and in isolating and pressuring the aggressor, Russia, and depriving it of the economic means needed to wage war,” Tsahkna said.
The ministers also discussed the EU enlargement conference taking place in Tallinn, which is particularly timely given the geostrategic importance of enlargement policy, as well as Ukraine’s concrete steps towards EU membership. “Estonia supports Ukraine’s swift progress on its path to the European Union and recognises the reforms that Ukraine has managed to implement even in wartime conditions. We emphasise that all current and future member states must respect the principles of democracy and the rule of law, which are the foundations of the European Union,” Tsahkna told Kachka.
Preparations for the Ukraine Recovery Conference to be held in Estonia in 2027 were also discussed. “Ukraine’s reconstruction is the highest priority of Estonia’s development cooperation,” Tsahkna stressed, adding that Ukraine’s reconstruction will become the largest strategic economic project in Europe in the coming decades.
Tsahkna also highlighted the European Union initiative, launched at Estonia’s instigation, to ban former Russian fighters from entering the Schengen area. “We have presented this proposal to all EU foreign ministers, as well as to Foreign Minister Sybiha, who supported the idea and agreed with Estonia that Russian soldiers who have fought in Ukraine pose a security threat to Europe.”
Additional information:
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