On 31 March, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna participated in an informal meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Bucha, Ukraine. The ministers also met with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
“Today, together with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and European Union foreign ministers, we gathered in Bucha to commemorate the victims of the mass atrocities committed during Russia’s temporary occupation in February 2022 and to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to ensuring full accountability for Russia’s war crimes,” said Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
“Bucha permanently changed the world’s understanding of what Putin is capable of and what Russian forces can do to people in occupied territories. The documented brutal torture, rape, killings and deportations of civilians left no room for illusions,” Tsahkna said. “This tragedy also reshaped our region’s defence thinking: we will not cede a single metre of NATO territory, but are ready to respond decisively and strike the enemy at its core. Bucha did not only change reality, but also our understanding of it, as reflected in NATO’s new defence plans adopted at the 2023 Vilnius Summit.”
Tsahkna stressed that holding Russia accountable is an essential part of achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace and upholding international law.
EU foreign ministers also welcomed recent progress in establishing a special tribunal for the crime of aggression and an international compensation mechanism for Ukraine. They also expressed support for the International Criminal Court’s investigation into war crimes committed in Ukraine and called on all parties to cooperate fully with the Court.
At the meeting, the minister stressed that Estonia will do everything possible to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, continuing its firm support for Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia. “We have adopted 19 sanctions packages and are working to ensure that the 20th package is adopted. We are also seeking further ways to restrict Russia’s war machine through energy revenues, maritime services and the shadow fleet,” Tsahkna said.
“Ukraine needs financial resources to defend itself. Russia’s massive aerial attack on Ukrainian cities at the beginning of last week, during which nearly 1,000 drones were used within 24 hours, requires continuous reinforcement of air defence capabilities, as well as the reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure. Ukraine needs resources for this, and the decision to implement the €90 billion loan must be taken without delay,” he added.
“In the fifth year of Russia’s war of aggression, we once again reaffirmed with our European Union colleagues our continued, firm and unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law,” Tsahkna said.