Following a video conference involving EU foreign ministers on Sunday aimed at coordinating further diplomatic steps and expanding sanctions in response to Russia's aggression, Liimets said: "The position of European Union states and our partners and allies is united: Russia's military aggression is a crime against sovereign and democratic Ukraine and in fact, all of Europe, because it is obvious that Russia's war against Ukraine has a great impact on all of Europe. Russia's hostile military actions must be stopped."

"With this war, Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, is not destroying only the peaceful lives of millions of Ukrainians but also his own people," Liimets went on according to a ministry press release.

"Ukraine needs our strong moral, political, economic and military support. For this reason, we are providing Ukraine with rapid and substantial defense assistance through the European Peace Facility," the minister said. "Estonia is providing political support and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, including through the civil initiatives of Estonia's people, companies and organizations. Estonia is also helping people fleeing the war in Ukraine. What is happening in Ukraine immediately affects many people in Estonia, their families and friends. This was evident yesterday at the largest peaceful demonstration in Estonia since the restoration of independence."

Liimets also welcomed the EU's decision to close its airspace to all Russian aircraft, and stressed the importance of the coordination of efforts to counter hybrid warfare, including banning Kremlin media channels Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik, neither of which can be accessed from inside an EU state.

Liimets also expressed Estonia's support for disengaging major Russian banks from the international SWIFT payment system and freezing the assets of its central bank, along with other sanctions.

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