Tsahkna met with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and their talks focused on bilateral relations, global security and the war in Ukraine. “I had an open and honest conversation with Minister Wang Yi. We discussed, among others, bilateral relations, international security and Russian aggression against Ukraine,” Tsahkna wrote on X after the visit.
The Estonian minister talks about the important role of Beijing
The Estonian foreign minister emphasized that China has real power and can really contribute to ending the war. In this context, he also drew attention to the return of Ukrainian children deported by Russia.
“For Estonia and the whole of Europe, Russia's aggression against Ukraine is of an existential nature. We perceive all our international relations through the prism of this war,” noted Tsahkna, quoted by Reuters.
Estonia's defense expenditure in 2019–2023 (Eurostat):
| 2019 | 587.7 |
| 2020 | 658.6 |
| 2021 | 639.8 |
| 2022 | 790.9 |
| 2023 | 1048.8 |
He also added that his country condemns all actions that directly or indirectly support Russian aggression, and appealed to all countries, including China, to cooperate to prevent Moscow from circumventing international sanctions.
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What actions of Russia did the Estonian minister criticize?
When did the Estonian minister's visit to China take place?
What issues were discussed during Tsahkna's talks with Minister Wang Yi?
Why do Estonians perceive Russia's aggression as existential?
The Estonian minister reminded that those imposed by the European Union are part of broader actions to comply with international law. In this regard, he also pointed to Beijing's responsibility as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. “President Trump also said that this pressure (on Russia) is very important and that China should join it. I think China can do a lot if it joins the pressure on Russia to end the war,” Tsahkna emphasized in an interview with Reuters.
During his visit to Beijing, the minister also thanked the Chinese authorities for never recognizing the Soviet occupation of Estonia.
