Tsahkna in Munich: Navalny's martyr death symbolic of Russia's regime

On February 16, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) attended the Munich Security Conference in Germany and commented on the death of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny, saying it shows the monstrous nature of the Russian regime.
"Navalny dedicated his life to exposing and fighting the true nature of Putin's regime," Tsahkna said. "Navalny could foresee what kind of fate awaited him in Russia, and yet he returned there. Now he has died a martyr."
At the conference's side events, speaking about Russia's aggression against Ukraine, Tsahkna said that Russia must bear the consequences of its aggression, and one way to do that is to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine.
"The use of force must lead to economic hardship, isolation and ultimately an ignominious defeat," the minister said. "The use of frozen Russian assets will help achieve a turning point in the war and bring Russia's defeat closer."
At the meetings, Tsahkna presented the draft law submitted by the government of Estonia to the Riigikogu that would allow the use of frozen Russian assets as an advance payment to help Ukraine. The minister said we must not be afraid to take any steps that would contribute to Russia's defeat.
"Putin is playing on the fear of a nuclear disaster," Tsahkna said. "But if Ukraine loses this war, we will find ourselves in a world without security, prosperity and freedoms, and this is nothing short of a similar disaster."

At his meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, Tsahkna said that Ukraine's victory is achieved with the long-term commitment of Allies and partners.
"If every member of the Ramstein coalition allocated 0.25 percent of their GDP annually for Ukraine's military aid, Ukraine would win this war within a few years," he emphasized.
Tsahkna said that while Russia is not posing an immediate threat to NATO countries, assessments show that after the end of the full-scale war, Russia is able to restore its military power within three to five years. This is why Europe must reinforce its defense and deterrence capabilities and increase defense spending.
On the sidelines of the conference, Tsahkna met with the Foreign Minister of Peru Javier González-Olaechea Franco, the Foreign Minister of Iraq Fuad Hussein, Chief Executive Officer of the American Jewish Committee Ted Deutch, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Amy Pope, Vice-President of the European Commission Věra Jourová and Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Robert Floyd.
Before the security conference, Foreign Minister Tsahkna attended a breakfast meeting with representatives of the Parliament of Bavaria; talks focused on security, and possibilities for bilateral cooperation between Estonia and Bavaria.
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Editor: Kristina Kersa