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Foreign Minister Tsahkna at the meeting of Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers: The continued security of our region requires Ukraine's victory over Russia

Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

10.04.2024

Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna was in Gotland, Sweden, on 9 and 10 April to meet with his colleagues in the Nordic-Baltic cooperation format (NB8). The representatives of eight countries discussed the region's security challenges, the situation in Ukraine, the hybrid threat posed by Russia to the region, and developments in Belarus.

The meeting of foreign ministers concentrated on Russia's continued aggression in Ukraine and its global dimension. "Ukraine's victory over Russia is a priority we are all working for together," the minister said, welcoming the NATO accession of our northern neighbours. "We have never been as strong as we are now, with all NB8 states belonging to NATO."

"Any other scenario except Ukraine's victory and Russia's defeat would mean an unimaginable threat to our region and the security of Europe, which is why it is our duty to support Ukraine in this fight as much as we possibly can," Tsahkna said. "Our discussion resulted in new ideas and proposals and we will continue working on them actively in the near future."

The minister presented Estonia's long-term plan for assisting Ukraine, which includes military aid, ramping up sanctions and using frozen Russian assets. "We must start using frozen Russian assets right now. It is a step that would hit Russia the hardest and Ukraine's reconstruction must come out of their pockets," the minister said.

They also discussed developments in Belarus, further sanctioning Lukashenko's regime and the need to support the democratic opposition, and the situation in Gaza. The meeting ended with a visit to the new military base in Gotland.

The Nordic-Baltic format comprises Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Iceland. Sweden is the coordinating country of NB8 until the end of 2024.