Estonian formin to Rubio: Just peace in Ukraine strengthens both US, Europe

Photo: OLIVIER HOSLET / EPA / Scanpix

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna had his first phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday, in which he congratulated his US counterpart on his appointment and said he is looking forward to working together on advancing the interests of both countries and on reinforcing transatlantic relations.

The ministers spoke about the political, economic and security cooperation of Estonia and the United States, global challenges, and Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

«Ukraine's victory in the brutal and unjustified war of aggression launched by Russia would reinforce not just the European and US security, but also economy,» Tsahkna said, adding that this is why it is crucial to continue providing military support to Ukraine while taking the economic instruments for waging war from Russia, including by reducing Russia's oil revenues.

«Russia's economy is already doing very badly. Increased economic pressure would bring Ukraine's victory closer,» he said.

Speaking about transatlantic relations, Tsahkna underlined that in order to successfully address the increasingly strategic cooperation between authoritarian regimes and other challenges facing the democratic world, Europe and the United States needed to stay united.

«Russia's aggression and the inclusion of North Korean soldiers in hostilities on European soil proves that the security of North America, Europe and the Pacific are closely related,» Tsahkna said. «Paralyzing the cooperation between Russia and its partners who support its hostilities is crucial for the security of the entire democratic world.»

The foreign minister also recalled his meeting with Rubio in Washington, D.C., when he was serving as Estonia's defense minister. Speaking about defense topics, Tsahkna said Estonia is very serious about defending itself and the government has set a goal of increasing defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. Tsahkna also recognized the contribution the United States has made to Estonia's security so far.

Additionally, the phone call covered boosting economic cooperation between Estonia and the United States, particularly on energy.