Tsahkna: Europe's door must remain closed to Russian fighters

TALLINN - Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna participated in a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels on Thursday, where he emphasized the urgent need to apply additional pressure on Russia's struggling economy and to keep Europe's door closed to Russian fighters.

"Last year, the EU significantly increased pressure on Russia by adopting four sanctions packages. Today, we see that Russia's economic growth has stagnated, inflation remains high, and more than half of the liquid assets of the national wealth fund have already been spent," Tsahkna said.

"Russia's oil and gas revenues fell by 22 percent last December compared to a year ago, which means that Russia has increasingly fewer financial resources for waging war. This situation must be capitalized on, and the 20th sanctions package, which would further reduce Russia's energy revenues, must be adopted quickly," Tsahkna said.

"The next package should include sanctions against Russian energy companies, the shadow fleet, and the individuals enabling their activities, and the central element of this package must be a ban on maritime services for vessels exporting Russian energy carriers," he noted.

The foreign minister added that against the backdrop of Russia's ongoing military terror, action must be taken to strengthen Ukraine's air defense capabilities and support its energy sector.

"Russia wants to bomb its way to a better position at the negotiating table. The task of Ukraine's supporters is to ensure that this does not succeed," said the foreign minister.

Tsahkna also raised the need to establish a ban on issuing entry and residence permits for the Schengen area to all Russian citizens who have fought for Russia in Ukraine.

"The infiltration of former Islamist fighters or participants in the Balkan wars into Europe has already shown us the threat that individuals who have taken part in atrocities pose to European societies and security," Tsahkna said.

"Among those fighting for Russia are convicted criminals sent to the front from prisons and individuals with clearly anti-European sentiments. Former fighters are a suitable recruitment pool for Russian special services, who can be used for sabotage, subversive activities, and participation in organized crime on European soil," he said.

"The door to Europe must remain firmly closed to Russian fighters who have committed war atrocities in Ukraine," the minister emphasized. "This step would also have a clear deterrent effect. Any man considering fighting for Russia would have to think about whether that action is worth being placed on the Schengen blacklist."

The foreign ministers also discussed the situation in the African Great Lakes region and the Middle East. Additionally, Foreign Minister Tsahkna raised the need to consider the attitude and actions of third countries regarding Russia's aggression in the EU's relations with them, citing relations with Cuba as a primary example.

"Cuba directly and openly supports the war narrative of the aggressor state Russia and has intensified its cooperation with Russia. Furthermore, we cannot overlook the ongoing and worsening human rights violations by the Cuban regime, the most blatant examples of which are the imprisonment of participants in the 2021 peaceful protests and the restriction of freedom of speech and assembly. The EU must reconsider its current Cuba policy," Tsahkna said.

During a meeting with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, the protection and promotion of human rights were discussed. The foreign minister also participated in the European Union-Morocco Association Council meeting.