Estonian President Alar Karis visited Kyiv on 2 June 2023, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
“Ukraine deserves peace, but within its internationally recognized borders. Kharkiv, Donetsk, Kherson, Crimea – the entire Ukrainian land must never [again] suffer the horrors of war. Therefore, by providing a perspective strategy for maintaining the architecture of European security, we must bring Ukraine into our democratic family, as well as push for EU and NATO expansion. I want to confirm our support for Ukraine both on the battlefield and on the way to the EU and NATO,” Karis said after his meeting with Zelenskyy.
Karis stated he does not want to conduct a dialogue with child killers, those who bomb hospitals, kindergartens, and schools.
“Their place is behind bars. There must be a fair punishment for the crime. Crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes, crimes of aggression must never go unpunished, and we must start from the very top. The international community supports the establishment of a special tribunal – we also mentioned this in our conversation – to ensure that justice prevails,” Alar Karis emphasized.
Karis also said that he started his visit to Ukraine on International Children’s Day as a sign that Estonia condemns everything Russia has done to Ukrainian children.
During their meeting, Zelenskyy and Karis cooperation in demining Ukrainian territories with the help of Estonian specialists and their Estonian equipment. They also considered the possibility of creating joint defense production in Ukraine. Another topic of discussion was the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius, Ukraine’s NATO and EU integration.
Zelenskyy also thanked Estonia for its help while welcoming Karis in Kyiv.
“Estonia is among those whose aid to our defense is the fastest and largest if you look at the ratio of the amount of aid to the country’s GDP. Thank you for all the support!” Zelensky wrote.
