Tsahkna told ERR: "Ukraine has asked that each point [of the peace plan] be led by a different country."

"Estonia, together with Argentina, has taken on the task of ensuring the sustainability of the principle of territorial integrity and of the UN Charter, which means sustainability in international law," Tsahkna continued.

This does not mean that Estonia, nor Argentina for that matter, have to somehow achieve the end of the Russian occupation in Ukraine themselves, the minister clarified.

He said: "It means activities that we are already engaged in: An active participation in all international organizations, coordination, the dissemination of messages not only to like-minded countries but also to the Global South and to other nations."

"However, it does not mean that Estonia must find a solution for Russia to come to recognize Ukraine's territorial integrity. It comprises values-based leadership, alongside the work we already carry out at the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

The initiative is also in alignment with Estonia's broader foreign policy goals, Tsahkna added.

"If we consider our foreign policy goals and activities, it lines up with our own fundamental interests; as President Lennart Meri once said, international law is the 'nuclear weapon' of small states. So, we are indeed fulfilling that task," Tsahkna went on.

One area where Estonia is actively keeping an eye on this issue is the international Ukraine peace conference taking place in Switzerland this week. "We are actively working on the text of this declaration to ensure that these principles are included - this is but one example. But yes, we are the 'guardians' of this matter," the minister added.

The role will not bring any additional costs to Estonia at a time when its state budget is particularly strapped.

Tsahkna added: "All our diplomatic capability is already primarily aimed at restoring and upholding the UN Charter and the principle of territorial integrity, which is an existential matter for us. In this sense, it is a natural part of our work."

President Zelenskyy's 10-point peace plan, issued in November 2022, includes demands for nuclear, food, and energy security in Ukraine; the return of all prisoners and deportees; the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity and Russia's reaffirmation of this according to the UN Charter; the withdrawal of Russian forces and the cessation of hostilities, plus the restoration of the pre-war border between the two countries; the creation of a special tribunal to address Russia's war crimes; addressing and compensating for environmental damage caused by the war; establishing a security architecture, including guarantees for Ukraine, in the Euro-Atlantic space to prevent new conflicts; and finally ending the war via a signed document from all the involved parties.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced on Friday that he is ready to halt his troops' military operations in Ukraine, but if Ukraine ceases resistance within the four "LDZK" (Donestk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson) occupied oblasts in southeastern Ukraine, the scene of much of the fighting even going back to 2014.

Putin also demanded recognition by Ukraine of the transfer of Crimea to Russian rule, and a pledge from Ukraine not to continue to seek NATO membership.

In other words much the same "goals" as were delineated in his television address on the eve of the invasion in February 2022.

The current situation on the frontline can be viewed from this interactive map, and from the BBC's updates here.

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