Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna to the Greek foreign minister: Ukraine belongs in NATO
Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
13.07.2023
Meeting with his Greek counterpart on the second day of NATO's Vilnius summit, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna emphasised that NATO had launched Ukraine's accession process.
At his meeting with Georgios Gerapetritis, Tsahkna said NATO had taken an important step forward in its support for Ukraine and allied support must continue until Ukraine's victory. "We took a step closer to Ukraine's NATO membership. It is crucial for the security of both Ukraine and Europe, because after the war, only the path to NATO will provide Ukraine with the certainty that the aggressor will not attack them again," Tsahkna said.
Tsahkna also highlighted the decision to raise defence spending to at least 2% of GDP and the adoption of NATO's new defence plans in line with the decisions of last year's Madrid summit, strengthening the Alliance's collective defence.
The foreign minister also met with his Georgian colleague Ilia Darchiashvili. Tsahkna underlined that Estonia continued to support Georgia's accession into NATO and the European Union, which requires substantial reforms.
"NATO supports the development of Georgia's defence capabilities and Estonia is contributing to the country's cyber capabilities through the NATO-Georgia programme," Tsahkna said.
He also called on Georgia to do its utmost to support Ukraine in fighting Russia's aggression, and to impose as extensive sanctions on Russia as possible, including a complete flight ban.
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