Estonian Prime Minister to conclude Ukraine trip
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas will today conclude his diplomatic visit to Ukraine.
Estonia—a key strategic ally of Ukraine—stands with Kyiv in condemnation of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, recently calling on Moscow to de-escalate its cross-border military buildup on its border with Ukraine. Since 2014, Russia has proceeded to illegally occupy parts of eastern Ukraine, causing a bitter rift between Moscow and Kyiv. From then on, Estonia has emphasized Ukraine’s right to self-determination and has increasingly distanced itself from Russia, whose expansionist activities in the post-Soviet bloc–which also include occupying parts of Georgia and Moldova–pose a security risk to itself.
Ahead of today’s meeting, Estonia—along with a group of post-Soviet states including Lithuania and Latvia—called on Moscow to remove Russian intelligence agents serving under diplomatic cover from Ukraine. In April, Estonia also assisted Ukraine with significant sums of humanitarian and developmental aid, aimed towards mitigating the impact of Russian aggression.
Expect today’s meeting to focus on deterring continued Russian encroachments, in light of recent developments. In addition to strengthening defense cooperation with Ukraine, Estonia is also likely to push for Ukraine’s integration with NATO, which remains an overarching strategic objective for Kyiv.
Wake up smarter with an assessment of the stories that will make headlines in the next 24 hours. Download The Daily Brief.
