Foreign minister: Estonia, US firm in face of Russian aggression in Ukraine
The United States remains a firm ally of Estonia, and the two countries are committed in their support for Ukraine and the defense of all of Europe in the wake of the ongoing war, prosecuted by the Russian Federation, foreign minister Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) says.
Reinsalu made his remarks following a 'phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, with whom he discussed the security situation in Europe and aid for Ukraine.
Reinsalu was at the same time on a visit to Zhytomyr Oblast in Ukraine, where he emphasized the clear need to raise the cost of the aggression and tighten the sanctions imposed on Russia.
He said: "We are in constant contact with the U.S., and we are working on the full implementation of these decisions in the near future. I thanked the U.S. for its consistent contribution to security in Europe," adding that forging even closer relations with Washington in the near future and finding additional modes of cooperation was a key objective for Estonia.
"In addition to security and defense, we have also intensified our cooperation on cyber issues, development cooperation, promoting democracy, and the economy," Reinsalu added, via a foreign ministry press release.
While on road in I spoke with @SecBlinken abt the new #NATO strat concept adopted in Madrid & our joint effort on implementing it. Thanked for strenghtening European security.
— Urmas Reinsalu (@UrmasReinsalu) August 2, 2022
As Russia is preparing for a prolonged war in #Ukraine & will stand side by side with. pic.twitter.com/21oal9H3Fm
The major security threat to both Europe and the NATO alliance remained the Russian Federation, the foreign minister added.
"Today there is agreement on Russia being the greatest security threat to NATO."
"We can see Russia is preparing for a prolonged war in Ukraine, because its plan to invade a sovereign country in the heart of Europe failed," Reinsalu added.
Estonia and the U.S. stand shoulder-to-shoulder in providing every assistance to Ukraine in it current fight for the preservation of its sovereignty and statehood.
Good call today with Estonian Foreign Minister @UrmasReinsalu to congratulate him on his recent appointment and to reaffirm the strength of our nations' longstanding partnership. Glad to be celebrating the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Estonia this week.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) August 3, 2022
June's NATO Madrid Summit had been pivotal in its strategic decisions on reinforcing collective defense, which demonstrate the adaptability of NATO and the unity of the allies, Reinsalu, who became foreign minister for the second time in July, a post he last occupied April 2019-January 2021, added.
Antony Blinken visited Estonia in an official capacity back in March this year.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
