At his meeting with Zelenskyy, Reinsalu said that Estonia stood shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine. “I reiterated to Zelenskyy that we supported Ukraine’s fight for its sovereignty and the security of all of Europe,” Reinsalu said. The president and the foreign minister also spoke about providing additional defence assistance to Ukraine and holding Russia accountable. “Ukraine is in urgent need of additional defence assistance. Estonia proposes for EU countries to provide Ukraine with one million artillery shells through a joint tender,” Reinsalu said. Estonia would like to see aid-related decisions made as quickly as possible and the promised assistance to arrive in Ukraine without delay.
Discussions also covered Ukraine’s path to the European Union and NATO. “Estonia is completely supportive of Ukraine’s path to the EU and the launch of accession talks as early as this year,” Reinsalu said. “NATO’s Vilnius summit must also provide Ukraine with a clear roadmap for joining the Alliance because there can be now grey security zones in Europe.”
Reinsalu added that Russia must be held accountable for its actions in Ukraine and it is the moral duty of the international community to ensure this. “Russia’s brutal destruction has caused devastation on a mass scale in Ukraine and Russia must pay for reconstruction,” he said. “Estonia is working on starting reconstruction already now, and it must include the use of frozen Russian assets.”
The meeting with Kuleba and Hoekstra covered holding Russia accountable for the war crimes and crime of aggression committed in Ukraine. “More than one year ago, Russia embarked on genocide and destruction in Ukraine and continues it to this day,” Reinsalu said, recognising the Netherlands for taking a leading role in efforts to hold Russia accountable. “To prevent the impunity of Russia and its leadership, we must establish an international tribunal and bring perpetrators to justice.”
Photos of the meetings are available here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/estonian-foreign-ministry/albums/72177720306435597
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