Estonian minister: We will continue strengthening NATO, supporting Ukraine

TALLINN - At the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna underlined that a strong transatlantic bond reinforces the security of both Europe and North America and ensures the most successful resistance to the threat posed by Russia, which is the most serious and long-term threat for the entire alliance.

The NATO foreign ministers meeting focused on boosting the deterrence and defense posture of allies, supporting Ukraine and countering the Russian threat, spokespeople for the Foreign Ministry in Tallinn said.

"Russia still wants to weaken and divide the West, destroy Ukraine and restructure European security," the minister said, adding that NATO must remain united and strong to counter this threat.

Tsahkna said the alliance's strength is based, above all, on its defense capabilities, which is why a new defense spending target must be agreed upon at the alliance's June summit in The Hague.

"It is good that several allies have already announced an increase in defense spending and I hope that we will hear about more decisions of this kind before the summit in The Hague," he said, noting that Estonia's defense spending will amount to almost 4 percent of GDP this year and will reach a minimum of 5 percent of GDP next year.

At a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Tsahkna underlined that all efforts must be aimed at a just and lasting peace.

"The formula for this is simple: we must continue providing maximum military aid to Ukraine and above all, economic pressure must be put on Russia to force it into giving up its goals," the Estonian minister said, welcoming the initiative by US senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal to impose additional sanctions if Russia does not agree to a lasting peace with Ukraine.

"Ukraine has proven its readiness for peace, while Russia has continued setting preconditions and conducting brutal attacks against Ukraine," the foreign minister said.

NATO foreign ministers also had a meeting with the foreign ministers of Indo-Pacific partners Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, and a discussion with the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Kaja Kallas.

The Estonian minister also had bilateral meetings with his Belgian, Japanese, Greek and Turkish counterparts.