Estonia pushes for EU’s 20th sanctions package as Moscow faces rising war costs
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna (Photo: Getty Images)
Only new sanctions can stop Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, according to Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
The Estonian official believes that Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine is possible only because Moscow retains the ability to finance its military economy, primarily through fossil fuel export revenues. It also acquires components and technologies via third countries.
“To stop the aggression, the international community, including the European Union and the United States, must continue exerting pressure and impose further sanctions,” Margus Tsahkna said in Washington, where he is on an official visit.
He expressed confidence that the last two sanctions packages imposed by the European Union on Moscow were significant.
“However, our goal is to implement the 20th package as soon as possible, which will make the cost of the war for Russia even higher,” Tsahkna said.
He added that sanctions should be accompanied by the unrestricted use of frozen Russian assets.
US and EU sanctions on Russia
Recently, Congressman Lindsey Graham confirmed that the US is preparing a new bipartisan bill to strengthen sanctions pressure on Russia. He wrote on social media that the bill has been approved by Trump.
According to the Republican, the legislation expands the president’s authority regarding secondary sanctions. He emphasized that the new mechanisms will give Trump more tools to pressure the Kremlin and push Russian President Vladimir Putin toward peace negotiations.
Meanwhile, the European Union and the US are working together to strengthen anti-Russian sanctions and counter Russia’s shadow fleet, French President Emmanuel Macron said. He expressed hope that the war could be ended by 2027.
