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Foreign Minister Tsahkna in Brussels: Europe will continue acting decisively to put Ukraine in a position of strength

Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

24.02.2025

Today 24 February, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna attended the meeting of the foreign ministers of the European Union in Brussels, where he said that the newly adopted 16th package of sanctions and the EU's initiative for ramping up military support demonstrated that the union would continue acting with resolve to pressure Russia and help Ukraine to a position of strength.

"Adopting another sanctions package and the readiness of member states to increase military assistance to Ukraine prove that the European Union is unwavering in its support for Ukraine," Tsahkna said. He added that Estonia has decided to do more than initially planned to help Ukraine, with the government deciding to increase military aid to Ukraine this year by 25%.

"Today's meeting of foreign ministers began with a moment of silence, interrupted by an air raid alarm. It is a sound the Ukrainians have been forced to hear for too long," Tsahkna said. "Russia's aggression against Ukraine must end but we must ensure that we achieve a lasting peace. Europe must quickly increase its support for Ukraine to make it possible for the country to refuse a bad or unfair peace that would only allow Russia to recover and continue its aggression when it chooses. This was emphasised today by Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who attended the meeting via video link."

Tsahkna said Estonia supported the initiative to provide military support to Ukraine, presented by the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas. "Right now, we must continue acting decisively and quickly to help Ukraine, and the EU's new initiative is crucial to this."

The foreign minister also said we must make progress with mobilising the frozen assets of Russia for the benefit of Ukraine. "Russia is obligated to fully compensate Ukraine for the damage it has caused with its war of aggression, and this obligation is becoming increasingly imminent and real. The EU must start a serious discussion that would lead to the decision to mobilise the bulk of Russia's sovereign assets," the foreign minister said. "This is why we presented a paper to the EU today, explaining why it is important to use the assets of Russia's Central Bank to help compensate Ukraine for the damage it has suffered, and we are proposing steps we could take to achieve this."

"Decisive action in helping Ukraine and pressuring Russia economically and politically would allow us to get to the root cause of the aggression and force Russia to give up its desire to destroy Ukraine and restructure Europe's security architecture," Tsahkna said. "This is the only way to achieve lasting peace in Europe."

The meeting also covered the situation in the Middle East, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Georgia. The foreign ministers decided to partially suspend sanctions on Syria, which creates a chance to provide humanitarian aid and development assistance.

When it comes to Georgia, Estonia considers it right to impose sanctions to punish people responsible for violently suppressing protests and violating human rights. Estonia has imposed sanctions on 28 individuals and calls on other member states to do the same.