Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stated that the EU must support Ukraine in the energy sector and in strengthening air defense, and also called for the swift adoption of the EU’s 20th sanctions package against Russia.
He made these remarks ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting. Tsahkna emphasized that Ukraine is facing a critical situation due to Russian attacks on energy infrastructure and severe winter conditions, and urgently needs assistance.
“Therefore, we must support Ukraine—it is absolutely obvious—both at the energy level and in air defense,” Tsahkna stressed.
He also noted that Putin has no intention of changing his course, so pressure on Russia must be increased through the adoption of the EU’s 20th sanctions package.
“Those who say sanctions don’t work are wrong—they work very well. Just last month, Russia’s oil and gas revenues fell by 22%. In addition, trade between the EU and Russia has decreased by more than 60%. Therefore, we must further increase pressure on Russia and support Ukraine,” the Estonian foreign minister added.
Tsahkna further noted that Estonia currently chairs the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8), which focuses significant efforts on supporting Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia. The NB8 countries also support Denmark regarding territorial integrity in the Greenland conflict. In this context, Tsahkna mentioned that the Estonian government has decided to deploy troops to Greenland if necessary.