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Foreign Minister Tsahkna at the meeting of Nordic-Baltic, Polish, German and French ministers: the common understanding is that peace in Ukraine requires putting pressure on Putin

Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

30.04.2025

On 28 and 29 April, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna was in Denmark on the island of Bornholm, where a meeting of the foreign ministers of NB8 (Estonia, Denmark, Iceland, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, Sweden, Finland) and the Weimar countries (Germany, Poland, France) took place. Discussions covered the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine and its impact on European security.

"The United States and Ukraine have offered Putin the chance to achieve a just and lasting peace, but Putin has so far chosen a different path, making increasing demands. This window is closing," Tsahkna said. "The countries participating in the meeting had a clear shared understanding that there can be no compromises on Ukraine's integrity and sovereignty, and instead we must increase pressure on Putin by imposing sanctions, mobilising frozen assets and immediately increasing military assistance to Ukraine." Tsahkna also stressed that Europe must be ready to give Ukraine security guarantees and Estonia is ready to contribute.

The group of countries in Bornholm has been among the biggest supporters of Ukraine during the three years of the war, providing Ukraine with military aid worth nearly €53 billion and civil support worth nearly €47 billion," Tsahkna said. "It was clear to all the countries around the table that our support for Ukraine would continue."

"Russia remains the biggest threat to European security. The NB8 and W3 countries are committed to strengthening their defence readiness and we are working to become better prepared to deal with threats," Tsahkna added.

In addition, ministers jointly condemned Russia's hybrid actions against European countries, which seek to undermine the security of democratic countries. They also confirmed they would increase monitoring and improve information sharing. "Deterring Russia's shadow fleet and sanctioning it is an issue in which Estonia has been actively leading the way from the very beginning. In addition to feeding the Russian war machine, the Russian shadow fleet is also a direct threat to our environment and maritime safety. Together, we will take further steps to deter the shadow fleet," Tsahkna commented.

The foreign ministers also prepared a joint statement, which can be found here: https://www.vm.ee/news/pohja-balti-weimari-electoralministerial-vote