Estonian formin, Finnish EU minister discuss support for Ukraine, Russia's accountability

TALLINN - Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu met on Wednesday with Finland’s Minister of European Affairs Tytti Tuppurainen in Tallinn, and the meeting covered further support for Ukraine, the NATO accession of Finland and Sweden, and ensuring Russia is held legally accountable for the crimes committed in Ukraine.

The ministers reiterated unwavering support for Ukraine and said their respective countries would continue sending additional military assistance.

"It is important to continue supporting Ukraine to help them win the war, and make progress with the European Union's joint ammunition tender. At the same time, we must continue sanctioning Russia and isolating it internationally, as well as making sure it does not evade sanctions," Reinsalu said.

The ministers also spoke about making sure Russia is held legally accountable for all the crimes committed in Ukraine and establishing a special tribunal for investigating the crime of aggression of Russia's leadership. Reinsalu and Tuppurainen also spoke about finding solutions for using frozen Russian assets for rebuilding Ukraine. 

Discussing continued support for Ukraine, the ministers spoke about Ukraine's path to NATO and the European Union.

"In Russia's war that has continued for a year now, Ukraine has been fighting for not only its freedom but for security and democracy in Europe and the values we cherish. Estonia is ready to offer its expertise and experience to contribute to Ukraine's NATO and EU accession," Reinsalu said.

The foreign minister recognized Ukraine's progress with meeting the requirements set out in the European Commission's roadmap and said if Ukraine meets all the requirements, accession talks should follow.

Reinsalu and Tuppurainen spoke about Finland and Sweden joining NATO.

"I reaffirmed to my colleague that Estonia's support remained solid and I am glad that talks between Turkiye and Finland and Sweden will continue soon," Reinsalu said.