• Military

• WMD Menu                           

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

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Tsahkna in Brussels: We must help Ukrainians fight the occupier who uses its citizens as cannon fodder

Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

19.03.2024

On 18 March, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna was in Brussels for the meeting of foreign ministers to discuss continued comprehensive assistance to Ukraine, raising the cost of the war for Russia, and the situation in Belarus and the Middle East.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had separate video meetings with the foreign ministers. Talks with Blinken covered additional military aid to Ukraine and the situation in Gaza. At the meeting, Tsahkna said that the situation in Ukraine was critical because soldiers lack the ammunition they need to defend themselves and all of Europe. "Our task is to raise the cost of the aggression for Russia, which is continuing its inhuman war in Ukraine," Tsahkna said. "We can and must do more to help Ukrainians fight an occupier that does not care about its own people nor others, and uses Russian citizens as cannon fodder to continue its war of attrition in Ukraine."

Tsahkna added that the ambitions of Russia and Putin have not changed. "The message to Russia must be clear. There will be no flexibility or return to normal relations before Ukraine has won and the colossal damage caused to Ukraine has been compensated," Tsahkna emphasised. "I welcome the discussion in the EU over using blocked Russian assets to help Ukraine. I have briefed my European colleagues on our domestic plan and legislation that would allow the reconstruction of Ukraine with frozen assets of Russian origin."

Discussions also included imposing additional sanctions on Russia and individuals connected to the aggression. At the discussion, Tsahkna said that in addition to imposing additional sanctions on Russia, it was equally important to prevent banned goods from reaching Russia through and thanks to Belarus.

Speaking about the situation in the Middle East, Tsahkna said that the EU's credibility depended on its response to global problems and on whether it can act as a substantial power in resolving them. "We are facing several crises that will define our future," Tsahkna said, adding that the decisions we make today will show whether we are bold enough to defend and maintain the rules-based order because unfortunately, our values are no longer self evident in today's world.

Tomorrow, Minister Tsahkna will attend the meeting of the General Affairs Council of the European Union, which will discuss preparations for the European Council on 21 and 22 March, and the future of Europe. The EU foreign ministers will also have a meeting on EU enlargement with the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs.