During his official visit to the Republic of Estonia, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas.
The Head of State thanked Kaja Kallas and the Estonian government for supporting Ukraine, providing comprehensive military, financial and humanitarian assistance and standing in solidarity with Ukraine in the fight against the Russian aggressor.
“We are going through this together and we feel your support on the battlefield as well. We are grateful for all the defense packages and for advocating for our future membership in the European Union. This also gives strength to our warriors and all civilians. Your voice is also heard loudly in support of Ukraine’s future in NATO,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a press conference following the negotiations with Kaja Kallas in Tallinn.
The Head of State commended Estonia’s willingness to continue military and financial assistance to our country in the coming years in the framework of the “Strategy of Victory of Ukraine”.
“I appreciate your plans to allocate a certain part of your budget to maintain the defense capabilities of our country and our people. I believe this is an example of a proper, robust financial platform,” he said.
“As you said, freedom must be better armed than tyranny. That is why Estonia has decided to provide long-term support: 0.25% of our GDP, a transfer over the next four years. This money will go to Ukraine as military aid. We hope this will serve as an example for everyone else to follow,” said Kaja Kallas.
The leaders discussed other important Estonian initiatives to support Ukraine’s defense, including the creation of an artillery coalition, an IT coalition, and the launch of the Tallinn Mechanism to bolster Ukraine’s cybersecurity.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also expressed hope for active support from Estonian business in enhancing Ukraine’s defense capabilities, in particular in the production of UAVs for the needs of our country.
The parties noted the start of negotiations on a bilateral agreement on security commitments that our country seeks to obtain before joining NATO.
The parties agreed to continue joint efforts to bring Ukraine closer to NATO membership and EU membership after the start of the relevant negotiations in December 2023.
The President emphasized the importance of Estonia’s full support in unblocking the decision to provide €50 billion of assistance to Ukraine from the European Union.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Estonia for its leadership in the confiscation of Russian assets for the needs of Ukraine, as well as the development of a national compensation mechanism.
According to Kaja Kallas, the partners are currently working on the use of frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s recovery and on holding Russia accountable.
In addition, the parties noted Estonia’s leadership and practical role in the reconstruction and economic recovery of Ukraine without waiting for the end of the war, patronage over Zhytomyr region, and implementation of specific projects.
“We are also grateful to Estonia for the medical rehabilitation and prosthetics for our defenders, for the transfer of the fourth military mobile hospital to Ukraine. Such actions save lives,” the President of Ukraine emphasized.
Source – President of Ukraine