Estonian ForMin secgen: Price of war must be raised unbearably high for Russia

«Ukraine's future is in NATO, but we need to take sufficient steps in Washington so that this message finally also gets through to the Kremlin,» Vseviov said at the Snow Meeting. Photo: Tairo Lutter

Jonatan Vseviov, secretary general of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a foreign and security policy conference in Lithuania that the price of war must be raised unbearably high for Russia.

«Ukraine's future is in NATO, but we need to take sufficient steps in Washington so that this message finally also gets through to the Kremlin,» Vseviov said at the Snow Meeting.

Vseviov discussed raising the price of the war for Russia at a meeting with Jonas Survila, vice minister of foreign affairs of Lithuania.

«We must break Putin's winning theory that time is working in his favor. The border countries must be the leaders here, and before the approaching second anniversary of the great war, they must more actively demand both subsequent sanctions as well as the use of Russia's frozen assets,» Vseviov said.

Topics discussed at a meeting with Simonas Satunas, also vice minister of foreign affairs of Lithuania, included developments in the European Union, foremost support for Ukraine.

«Efforts must be made in the EU to implement the ammunition initiative and we must also reach an agreement on financial support for Ukraine,» the secretary general said.

Vseviov also gave a lecture on responsibility and the protection of a rules-based world at the European Humanities University of Belarus, which has relocated to Vilnius. More than 1,200 young Belarusians study at the private university in exile in Vilnius, the university's activities are also supported by Estonia.

The secretary general also travelled to the Lithuanian-Belarusian border in order to inspect the new infrastructure of the Medininkai border crossing point, the work of the Padvarionys coordination center and the fence constructed on the green line following the start of the hybrid migration crisis in 2021.

The Snow Meeting is taking place for the 17th time this year and is traditionally held in January in Vilnius and Trakai. At the international conference, politicians, top officials and academics discuss topical issues of foreign and security policy.