President Alar Karis was in Ukraine with his Baltic counterparts: President Egils Levits of Latvia, President Gitanas Nausėda of Lithuania and President Andrzej Duda of Poland. The four met with President Zelenskyy and together with Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal visited places, which have been devastated by Russian forces.
President Karis stressed that Ukraine needs everyone’s help – first and foremost prompt military assistance – now more than ever. “Ukraine and the West did everything within their power to prevent this war through diplomacy and dialogue,” said the Estonian head of state. “But President Putin chose to start this war, and now, sadly, it is weapons that are doing the talking. A pathway to peace can now only be found through victory on the battlefield.”
President Karis explained that Estonia has provided Ukraine with military assistance to the value of a third of the country’s annual defence budget. “We have also been vocal supporters, along with our likeminded allies in many other Western countries, of establishing clear, precise and effective economic sanctions. Russia is the only one to blame for this war. The sanctions that have already been imposed on it, and those still to come, must help stop the aggressor in its tracks.” The need to impose sanctions on Russian energy suppliers without delay was also discussed with President Zelenskyy.
During their meeting, the five heads of state spoke of options for enabling the export of Ukrainian grain and other goods via Poland and the Baltic States, since access to trade routes by sea is blocked.
President Karis confirmed that Estonia is prepared to send experts to assist the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine and the International Criminal Court in investigating Russian war crimes. “The killings, the torture, the use of illegal weapons – none of this will go unpunished,” he declared. “The war crimes that have been committed by Russian forces in Ukraine must be fully investigated, leaving no stone unturned. All of the people involved in the planning and committing of these horrific crimes must be brought to justice.”
The Estonian head of state said that the people of Ukraine have shown astounding courage in standing up to the atrocities perpetrated by the Russian army. “Ukraine is a country that wants to be free and that has the right to be free,” he said. “Its place is within the European family. I speak on behalf of everyone in Estonia when I say that we are horrified by the crimes the aggressor has committed and continues to commit against the people of Ukraine. We share your pain, which is heart-breaking and soul-destroying. We can all see that 21st-century Russia’s aim is to wipe out the Ukrainian state and its people. We grieve for every life lost in this war and for every home destroyed, and we are here to support every refugee who flees from the violence and destruction raining down on the country.”
Discussing international support, President Karis said that in fighting for the survival of its state and its people, Ukraine has many friends and allies. “We are seeing more and more countries rethinking long-held views because of Russia’s war against Ukraine, and how it has united democratic countries to form an unbreakable frontline in support of the Ukrainians,” he said. “That friendship is invaluable and must be maintained.”
