• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Tsahkna meeting with Zelenskyy: Ukraine belongs in the European Union and NATO

Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

27.10.2025 | 20:48

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv today to discuss strengthening sanctions against Russia, Euro-Atlantic relations, Ukraine's path towards NATO and EU membership, and security guarantees. During the meeting, President Zelenskyy presented Minister Tsahkna with a national decoration in recognition of Estonia's support for Ukraine.

Minister Tsahkna emphasised that Estonia will never, under any circumstances, recognise territorial changes imposed by force, nor accept any limitations on Ukraine's sovereign right to choose its allies.

He reaffirmed Estonia's commitment to working with the European Union and other partners to reduce the revenue streams fuelling Russia's war machine. "The EU's 19th sanctions package has just been approved, but work is already underway on the next one, and it should include tariffs," Tsahkna noted.

"Sanctions are having an impact on Russia's economy, but we must continue to seek new ways to raise the cost of aggression. Estonia has led the debate on the use of frozen Russian assets for over three years, and we hope to see concrete results soon. As the damage has been caused by Russia, using its frozen assets to support Ukraine is morally the only right course of action," he said.

"Estonia's position is clear—Ukraine's strongest security guarantee is NATO membership. Until that is achieved, credible security guarantees backed by capabilities and forces must be in place, though these cannot serve as a permanent alternative to NATO membership," the Foreign Minister added. He recalled that Estonia was the first country to declare its readiness to contribute to Ukraine's future security guarantees, including through the deployment of forces on the ground.

Minister Tsahkna also stressed that Estonia will continue to strengthen its military assistance to Ukraine, using all available mechanisms—including the PURL initiative—and ensuring bilateral defence support amounting to at least 0.25% of Estonia's GDP annually.

He reiterated Estonia's firm support for Ukraine's EU membership aspirations and confirmed that Estonia is actively working to advance the accession process.

The Minister also highlighted Estonia's priority of combating impunity, welcoming the decision to establish a special tribunal to prosecute the crime of aggression.

At the conclusion of the meeting, President Zelenskyy presented Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna with a national decoration for his contribution to supporting Ukraine. "This honour belongs to all the people of Estonia—it is a tribute to their unwavering commitment to Ukraine," Tsahkna said.