Michal to Costa: The European Union must show strength

Michal to Costa: The European Union must show strength
Photo: Ivo Panasjuk

According to the prime minister, the most important thing for Estonia at the upcoming European Council meetings is to increase military support for Ukraine and pressure on Russia. We must also move forward quickly with increasing the defence capabilities of the EU, he stressed.

“The military aid of Estonia to Ukraine has amounted to 0.3% of our GDP this year alone. We have also publicly stated our contribution to the security guarantees. However, it is also necessary to increase the joint contribution of the EU,” said Michal. “At the same time, we must press ahead with EU enlargement without delay. Ukraine and Moldova have both done their homework, and negotiations with both countries should be opened at the earliest opportunity.”

“Russia will only come to the negotiating table if we increase our pressure significantly,” he added. “To achieve this, we need to further reduce Russia’s revenues and sanction energy carriers, accelerate the fight against the shadow fleet, and use Russia’s frozen assets for the benefit of Ukraine,” the Estonian head of government explained.

The prime minister also presented Estonia’s priorities for the negotiations on the next long-term budget (MFF) of the EU. “Our main focus is on defence, cross-border connections and the eastern border. The eastern border states affected by Russia’s war of aggression need clear support in dealing with the economic and social impacts, in addition to defence,” he explained.