President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a meeting with President of the Republic of Estonia Alar Karis, who arrived in our country on a visit.
Welcoming his Estonian counterpart to Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Estonia is a country that fundamentally understands why Ukraine must win the battle against Russian aggression.
"First of all, I want to thank Estonia and you personally, Mr. President, for the assistance provided to Ukraine. It is really important and powerful. This includes assistance with weapons - a wide sector. This is what saves the lives of our soldiers. This is also political assistance - sanctions against Russian aggression, which were so difficult to implement. Thank you for this! Support for Ukraine in the EU institutions, support for our movement to NATO," the Head of State emphasized during the conversation with media representatives following the meeting with Alar Karis.
In particular, the President of Ukraine noted Estonia's humanitarian and economic assistance, as well as assistance in the reconstruction and sheltering of Ukrainians who were forced to flee the war from the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion.
"Estonia has approached our agreements on reconstruction very conscientiously, and we already have a concrete result: a kindergarten in Ovruch, rebuilt by the Estonian side, has been officially opened in Zhytomyr region," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
During the talks, the President of Ukraine told his Estonian counterpart about the situation on the battlefield and Ukraine's armed capabilities.
"Together we can prepare more of our powerful steps at the front. I informed about the specific urgent needs of our army to build up Ukraine's defensive and offensive capabilities. And the more defeats we inflict on the Russian occupiers now, the more reliable the protection for our peoples will be - protection from any attempts by Russia to seize the territory of neighbors," he emphasized.
The interlocutors also focused on the issue of strengthening sanctions against Russia.
They discussed in detail the international events scheduled for this year and the decisions being prepared, including the NATO Summit in Vilnius, which must be approached with a prepared package of decisions.
"We discussed our relations with the European Union and the decisions on our integration into the EU that need to be made. Even in the face of such a war, Ukraine continues to reform its state institutions. We are quite obviously and concretely strengthening European unity, adding strength to Europe as a global entity, and adding security to European values. All this clearly indicates that Ukraine deserves appropriate positive political decisions from the EU regarding our future membership," the Head of State noted.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Estonia for its full support of the position that the European and Euro-Atlantic unification will be complete only when Ukraine becomes a full member of the EU and NATO.
"I informed Mr. President about our efforts to implement the Peace Formula and prepare the relevant peace summit. I thank him for his willingness to follow the path of implementation of the formula together with us," the Head of State said.
The parties also focused on further digitization and joint steps for the near future.
"We agreed on specific cooperation in demining Ukrainian territories, including with the involvement of Estonian specialists and their equipment. We discussed the possibility of establishing joint defense production facilities in Ukraine. We also touched upon the deepening of interaction between our business circles, discussed the issue of risk insurance for Estonian investors and entrepreneurs," the President of Ukraine said.
For his part, Alar Karis noted that he started his visit to Ukraine on the International Children's Day as a sign that Estonia condemns everything that Russia has done to Ukrainian children.
The President of Estonia called the kidnapping of young Ukrainian citizens a crime that deserves a fair punishment.
He also noted that his country intends to step up efforts to help revitalize and restore Ukraine's economy and expressed support for starting the rebuilding of infrastructure and educational institutions before the war ends.
"Ukraine deserves peace within its recognized territories. Kharkiv, Donetsk, Crimea – the entire Ukrainian land should never experience the horrors of war," the President of Estonia said.
Regarding the architecture of the new European security, Alar Karis expressed his belief that Ukraine should join the circle of democratic countries of the European family as a member of the European Union and NATO.
"I want to reaffirm our support for Ukraine both on the battlefield and on its way to the EU and NATO," the President of Estonia stated.
"I don't want to live in a world where we have to have a dialogue with child murderers, with those who bomb hospitals, kindergartens and schools. Their place is behind bars. There must be a fair punishment for the crime. Crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes, crimes of aggression must never go unpunished, and we must start from the very top. The international community supports the establishment of a special tribunal – we also mentioned this in our conversation – to ensure that justice prevails," Alar Karis emphasized.
