In his conversation with Prime Minister Orpo, Michal outlined his government's priorities, and discussed opportunities for cooperation.

He stressed: "Developing closer cooperation with Finland and the other Nordic and Baltic countries is one of my top priorities as prime minister."

Michal stressed that Estonia's foreign policy course remains unchanged, and that cooperation with allies play a significant role towards this effort.

"The defense cooperation between Estonia and Finland is excellent, and a key focus should be on the Gulf of Finland. We must also concentrate on protecting critical maritime infrastructure and energy security," the new prime minister said in a statement.

In his conversation with President Zelenskyy, Michal discussed the situation on the front line in Ukraine, and allied aid to that country, nearly two-and-a-half years after the full-scale invasion by Russia began.

"Russia must get the message that we will stand behind Ukraine for as long as it is needed. This makes crucial the recent decisions made at the NATO summit," Michal said.

He emphasized the need to continue efforts to increase the cost of aggression for Russia, by strengthening sanctions and preventing any attempts to evade them.

The prime minister also pledged to work together with the government to continue to seek international solutions on utilizing frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine, "as extensively and swiftly as possible."

The Reform-SDE-Eesti 200 coalition were officially sworn-in on Monday.

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