Attending his first Foreign Affairs Council as foreign minister, he concentrated on continuing to provide Ukraine with comprehensive support. “The position of Estonia and our new government, which has been in office for a week, is unchanged,” Tsahkna underlined. “We will continue providing comprehensive support to Ukraine and raising the cost of the war for Russia.”
Right now, Ukraine urgently needs military aid, especially ammunition, as it is defending its sovereignty and the security of all of Europe. This was also emphasised by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who joined the meeting online. “The provision of ammunition to Ukraine must not be slowed down by red tape,” Tsahkna said. “The million shells that were promised to Ukraine must be delivered as soon as possible. Estonia has met its commitment and I call on other member states to contribute.”
Talks also covered holding Russia accountable for the crimes committed in Ukraine. Tsahkna welcomed the recent decision by the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, but added that an international UN-mandated special tribunal for the crime of aggression was needed to prevent the impunity of Russia, and this has been a preference of Ukraine and the EU could extend its common support to the tribunal.
Tsahkna also called for quick progress with the 11th sanctions package against Russia and emphasised that in addition to imposing new sanctions it was equally important to make sure that Russia is unable to evade existing sanctions.
Ahead of the meeting of foreign ministers, an informal breakfast was held with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić and Icelandic Foreign Minister Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir to discuss preparations for the Council of Europe summit in Reykjavikis in May, which will focus on Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
The foreign ministers also discussed the tense situation in Sudan and approved sending a civilian mission of the EU to Moldova.
The EU foreign ministers also had an informal meeting with Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili to discuss the situation in Georgia and Georgia’s EU perspective. “We recognise the remarkable support of the Georgian people to joining the EU; however, this requires Georgia to implement the necessary reforms, especially those concerning reinforcing and defending the rule of law and democracy,” Tsahkna said.
The doorstep interview of the foreign minister is available here: https://newsroom.consilium.europa.eu/events/20230424-foreign-affairs-council-april-2023/139583-arrival-and-doorstep-ee-tsahkna-20230424
Some photos of today’s meeting are available here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/estonian-foreign-ministry/albums/72177720307740275?fbclid=IwAR1lbBtJkMfe4Fc08_GgKgXoSfwYTSEmje_aEiii1VPcLs8YcQRhnsYmgW8
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