“Ukraine is today Europe’s greatest military force, and its capabilities are of decisive importance to European security,” said Tsahkna.
According to him, Europe must increase pressure on Russia. “Long-range sanctions, as my Ukrainian counterpart Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha calls them, are dealing severe blows to Russia’s war machine, which is funded by revenues from energy exports. We must not fear the end of the Putin regime,” Tsahkna stressed. “Estonia lived under Soviet occupation for more than 50 years because people feared the fall of the Soviet Union. Yet its end brought a flourishing of democracy across Europe.”
Speaking on the possibility of peace negotiations, Tsahkna said that Putin is not ready for substantive peace talks, though there are signs that Russia’s tone is shifting. “We can see that Russia’s tone has changed and that Russia is suffering,” he noted.
On the sidelines of the conference, Foreign Minister Tsahkna also met with Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. The meeting focused on opportunities for cooperation between Estonia and Ghana in the fields of digitalisation and innovation.
The discussion with Simon Clemons can be watched here: https://youtube.com/live/QHUVlnFJ9kM?feature=share
The discussion with the Foreign Ministers of Lithuania, Luxembourg and Romania, and the Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine can be watched here: https://youtube.com/live/RyFwwxWAu_4?feature=share
