During the two-day visit, meetings were held with Oleksandr Korniienko, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine; Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa; Acting Minister of Justice Liudmyla Suhak; Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights; and representatives of the Ukrainian presidential initiative Bring Kids Back UA, civil society organisations, UN agencies operating in Ukraine and the International Criminal Court. Undersecretary Lind also held bilateral talks with Deputy Minister of Energy Valentyna Moskalenko.
During the meetings, Lind stressed that at a time when Russia’s aggression against Ukraine continues and drone and missile attacks have intensified in recent weeks, maintaining international attention is of critical importance. “Russia’s brutality should come as no surprise to anyone. The briefings we received in Kyiv clearly demonstrate how the aggressor is attempting to compensate for its failures on the battlefield through every conceivable act of cruelty against the Ukrainian people,” said Lind. “According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, Russia has also succeeded in recruiting fighters from 134 countries to wage war on its behalf,” she added.
According to Lind, Russia’s international isolation and accountability are essential. “The swift launch of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression, an increase in the number of countries joining it, and continued support for the International Criminal Court’s work in investigating Russian war crimes are all of key importance,” she noted.
Addressing the issue of deported Ukrainian children, Lind stressed that Estonia remains committed to ensuring the safe return of every child.
“More than 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly taken to Russia, where they are subjected to abuse, militarisation and efforts to sever their ties with their homeland,” she said. “We must continue to increase pressure on Russia until every child has been reunited with their family.”
She also highlighted the importance of securing the release of prisoners of war and civilians, whom Russia continues to treat with extreme brutality.
Estonia holds the chairmanship of the NB8 cooperation format in 2026, with Ukraine as one of its central priorities. Collectively, the NB8 countries constitute the second-largest group of supporters of Ukraine, having provided nearly €42 billion in military, economic and humanitarian assistance. The region has also consistently supported Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts.
In 2027, Estonia will host the Ukraine Recovery Conference, aimed at bringing together contributions from international partners to support the strong and sustainable reconstruction of Ukraine.
