Estonian formin stresses importance of Western support for Ukraine

TALLINN - On Monday, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna took part in a meeting of G7+ foreign ministers led by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and G7 presidency holder Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, with the participation of Ukraine's new foreign minister Andrii Sybiha‎, where he again emphasized the importance of Western support for Ukraine.

Tsahkna said at the meeting that Russia's goal is to destroy Ukraine's economy and the resilience of Ukrainians.

"With the cooperation of like-minded countries, Ukraine must be offered the necessary support to protect and restore the energy infrastructure before the coming winter," the minister said. "We cannot accept a situation where Russia can mercilessly destroy Ukraine's infrastructure. Ukraine must be given better opportunities to protect itself from destructive airstrikes. At the same time, we must strive to alleviate the severe impact of the war on the civilian population by restoring Ukraine's energy infrastructure."

As part of the UN high-level week, the foreign ministers of the Nordic and Baltic countries on Monday met with their Ukrainian counterpart to discuss, among other things, the provision of military assistance to Ukraine and its progress towards NATO and European Union membership. In addition, a meeting of EU foreign ministers took place in New York on Monday, where, in addition to Ukraine, the increasingly tense situation in the Middle East was discussed.

Tsahkna also spoke at the public digital infrastructure event 50-in-5 and at an event on the topic of the human rights of Belarusian political prisoners together with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, representative of the democratic forces of Belarus. The foreign minister also announced Estonia's presidency of the Internet Freedom Coalition in 2025.

At a bilateral meeting with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayan, the possibilities of expanding both political and economic cooperation between Estonia and Bahrain were discussed. The ministers also talked about the need to ensure the validity of the principles of the UN Charter, because only a world order that is based on them can ensure the security of all countries.

On Tuesday, Tsahkna will speak at an event on multilateralism and at an event of the Group of Friends of Accountability. Bilateral meetings will be held with the foreign ministers of North Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Algeria and the Philippines, the minister of technology and science of Zambia and the director general of the United Nations Habitat Program (UN Habitat). Tsahkna will also participate in a transatlantic dinner at the invitation of the US secretary of state.