Estonian president to UN secgen: Russia behaving like pirate in Black Sea

During a meeting in New York with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Estonian President Alar Karis raised the issues caused by Russian aggression. Photo: Vabariigi Presidendi Kantselei

During a meeting in New York with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Estonian President Alar Karis raised the issues caused by Russian aggression, especially those related to Ukraine's grain exports, noting that Russia, which is blocking Ukraine's grain exports, is acting like a pirate in the Black Sea.

Karis emphasized that the use of sanctioned Iranian drones by the aggressor state needs attention.

«We must look for solutions to the problems that Russia has created with the war and help Ukraine find ways to export grain, not ease the sanctions imposed on Russia as an aggressor, nor let it spread across the Black Sea and dictate its terms,» the president said.

Presidents Alar Karis, Gitanas Nauseda and Edgars Rinkevics discussed with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres the impact of the war of aggression initiated by Russia on the world's food security and opportunities for the export of Ukrainian grain.

«For this, it is necessary to keep open and, if possible, expand Ukraine's open humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea and we also need to find solutions to keep alternative Ukrainian grain export channels in operation in the European Union. We definitely cannot submit to blackmail by the aggressor in the process. The Black Sea is not Russia's territorial sea, it is currently acting like a brutal pirate there, preventing the free movement of ships with humanitarian shipments, thus violating international rules, including freedom of navigation,» Karis said.

Summarizing the meeting, the president said that Russia is to blame for the global food crisis.

«If there was no war, there would be no crisis, and by continuing the aggression, bombing Ukrainian ports and stealing and destroying crops, Russia is endangering millions of human lives. The solution that the UN must focus on is ending this war, taking into account the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and President Zelenskyy's peace plan,» the Estonian head of state said.

During the meeting, the cooperation of European Union member states to keep grain transport channels open and the possible use of Baltic ports to increase Ukraine's grain exports were also discussed.

The president also considered it important to continue issuing strong messages to condemn the war of aggression started by Russia and noted as an important task the need to direct the attention of the UN to explain how Iranian drones under the sanctions of the Security Council are being used by Russia to destroy Ukrainian cities and residents.

Karis said that one of Estonia's goals at this General Assembly is to raise the awareness of the international community about the forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and Belarus.

«We have to use every opportunity to stop this activity and get the children back. The issues related to the deportations must remain in the focus of the world's attention,» he added.

Issues related to impunity and the need to establish an international tribunal for the crime of aggression were also discussed at the meeting.