Aggressive Russia unchanged, Europe must step up, warns Rstonian Foreign Minister
Rstonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna (Photo: Getty Images)
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna believes that the proposed US peace plan does not pressure the aggressor but instead restrains Ukraine, the victim of a brutal invasion, according to an interview he gave to the BBC, shared on X.
“My message to BBCNews was clear: nothing about Europe without Europe. We will ensure the aggressor pays and that pressure continues to intensify,” he stated.
According to Tsahkna, Russia has not changed its objectives, and the proposed peace plan does not pressure the aggressor but rather holds back Ukraine.
“A peace is only just when it is grounded in international law, including the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty,” emphasized the Estonian Foreign Minister.
He expressed his conviction that Russia will remain an aggressive state and called for increasing pressure on it.
“We will never recognize the occupation, which is based on using military force. So, there cannot be recognition from the Estonian side about changing territories with military force. As well, the US never recognized the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states and in Estonia. So, this is our principled position,” Tsahkna stated.
Ukrainian Armed Forces and NATO membership
Regarding the US peace plan provision on reducing the size of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Estonian official emphasized that such decisions are a matter of national sovereignty.
Tsahkna also stated that Ukraine’s potential NATO membership remains on the agenda.
“Putin cannot dictate what NATO must or should do in the future, or what Europe should do or not to do,” he stressed.
Additionally, the Estonian Foreign Minister noted that the proposed US peace plan does not impose any restrictions on Russia and called for increasing pressure on Moscow. In particular, Europe could do this by implementing a 20th sanctions package.
Updated peace plan
As RBC-Ukraine reported, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after the return of the Ukrainian delegation from Geneva, emphasized that the peace plan contains a lot of the right elements, but the final document still requires work. He noted that the US peace plan no longer includes 28 points.
The head of state expressed his belief that Russia is interested in derailing any chance of agreement and continuing the war.
On Monday, November 24, a day after the Geneva talks, the Financial Times reported that the US peace plan had been cut by nearly a third. The document now contains 19 points instead of the original 28.
RBC-Ukraine previously reported, citing sources, that in the updated version of the peace plan, there will be no limit on the size of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In addition, the provision granting amnesty for crimes committed during the full-scale war in Ukraine will be removed.
