Foreign Minister Tsahkna stressed that a just and lasting peace must be based on respect for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and that no decisions concerning Ukraine’s or Europe’s security can be made without Ukraine and Europe being involved.
“Ukraine’s security is a matter of European security. We must not find ourselves in a situation where decisions are made behind our backs or where Russia gets at the negotiating table what it failed to achieve on the battlefield. Peace must be just and lasting, and must include credible and effective security guarantees for Ukraine,” Tsahkna said.
According to Tsahkna, the first step towards peace must be an end to Russia’s deliberate attacks. “Ukraine has repeatedly demonstrated its readiness for a ceasefire and agreed to halt deep strikes against Russian energy infrastructure on the condition that Russia does the same. Putin, however, has chosen the opposite course and intensified the attacks further,” he noted.
“In recent weeks, drone and missile attacks, along with power cuts affecting hundreds of thousands of people, have become part of everyday life in Ukraine. The number of civilian casualties rose by 85% in September, and more than 2,000 energy infrastructure facilities have been attacked since July. The conditions for serious peace negotiations will not exist until Russia changes its behaviour,” Tsahkna said.
The Foreign Minister added that, as Russia continues to attack Ukraine’s civilian and energy infrastructure and winter approaches, Ukraine must receive even more extensive practical assistance. “Last week, we confirmed a plan to provide Ukraine with €10 million through NATO’s PURL initiative, bringing our total contribution to €30 million. As Russia has targeted critical infrastructure, including the transport network, and has already destroyed or damaged 340 railway carriages this year, we are working to send a substantial number of locomotives to Ukraine. This will help keep the country’s transport links operational even under the most difficult conditions,” Tsahkna said.
Discussing the Ukraine Recovery Conference to be held in Tallinn in January, both ministers confirmed that preparations were progressing in close cooperation. “Our aim is to mobilise the broadest possible international support for Ukraine and achieve as many substantive, practical outcomes as possible at the conference to help rebuild Ukraine and strengthen its resilience,” Tsahkna said.
