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Foreign Minister Tsahkna at the NATO ministerial meeting: Allied support to Ukraine remains strong

Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

28.11.2023

Today, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna attended the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, with Allies expressing resolve in their support for Ukraine.

Tsahkna said the Allies agreed that Ukraine was fighting for not just the liberation of their land but also the security of the Euro-Atlantic region more broadly. In his statement, the minister said it was crucial to continue to raise the cost of the aggression.

The foreign minister noted that the West must be able to deal with several conflicts at the same time, and increasing defence spending in the current security situation was of utmost importance. "Increasing defence spending is key to ensuring the implementation of NATO's new defence plans," Tsahkna said. "2% of GDP should be the minimum for defence spending."

At the meeting, Tsahkna expressed disappointment over the fact that Sweden was unable to attend as a full member. "I urged Hungary and Türkiye to work towards ratifying Sweden's membership because Sweden's accession is important for the security of all NATO member states," Tsahkna said.

In Brussels, Tsahkna also had bilateral meetings with the Foreign Minister of Montenegro Filip Ivanović, Foreign Minister of Türkiye Hakan Fidani and Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba.

"Despite the extremely complicated state of war, Ukraine has taken significant steps in implementing reforms," Tsahkna said at his meeting with Kuleba. "NATO is soon celebrating its 75th anniversary and Estonia will mark 20 years as an Ally. Estonia supports the open door policy of NATO and we believe that Ukraine's future is in NATO."

Today, NATO foreign ministers also met with Josep Borrell, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union, and discussed the situation in the Western Balkans. Tsahkna recognised the role of the Kosovo peacekeeping force KFOR in maintaining security in the region, and welcomed the progress the Western Balkans have made in European integration.