As part of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Estonia, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha held bilateral talks with Foreign Minister of Estonia Margus Tsahkna.

The head of the MFA thanked Estonia for its comprehensive support of Ukraine and personally thanked Margus Tsahkna for his principled position, consistent leadership and firm support of our state. The minister also briefed his colleague in detail on the situation on the battlefield. Ukraine has stabilized the front line, is holding its positions and continues to strengthen them.

Andrii Sybiha stressed the importance of the President of Ukraine’s visit to Estonia and his participation in the Nordic-Baltic Eight summit.

The sides discussed in detail diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace. The head of the MFA emphasized that Europe must strengthen its role in advancing peace efforts and shaping the continent’s future security architecture.

The ministers paid particular attention to security guarantees for Ukraine. Andrii Sybiha stressed that Ukraine’s full membership in the European Union is one of the key elements of such guarantees.

“It is extremely important for us to open negotiations on the first cluster in the near future, and immediately after that on the remaining five clusters. We are counting on Estonia’s continued support on this path. I also emphasized the importance of ensuring a strong Ukrainian army after the war ends as one of the fundamental factors of security for all of Europe,” the minister said.

The interlocutors also discussed opportunities at the European Union level to further strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities. Minister Sybiha stressed that supporting Ukrainian defense capabilities, developing the defense industry and engaging European instruments to strengthen Ukraine must remain among the priorities of the European agenda.

The sides paid particular attention to further tightening sanctions pressure on russia. Ukraine is grateful to Estonia for its decision to restrict entry for russian combatants and for its leadership in advancing this issue among partners. The diplomats discussed further steps to expand the relevant lists and strengthen coordination with other states. Andrii Sybiha expressed gratitude to Margus Tsahkna for his readiness to continue working in this direction and to help advance these decisions in dialogue with our partners.

A separate block of the talks focused on Ukraine’s contribution to strengthening the security of the European region. Ukraine is ready to share with partners its unique experience gained in countering russian aggression. That is why Ukraine is proposing the Drone Deal initiative, which opens new opportunities for mutually beneficial defense cooperation and strengthening the security of partner states. Ukraine is already making a significant contribution to protecting European security today, and we are ready to continue strengthening this shared security capability together with our allies.

“Together with Estonia, we will continue working to strengthen the security of Ukraine and all of Europe, to build our resilience, to increase pressure on the aggressor, and to bring a just and lasting peace closer,” the head of Ukraine’s MFA concluded.