Estonian foreign minister to WION: China, other countries must pressure Russia to end Ukraine war

Ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started last month, there have been concerns raised over whether the conflict could spill over the Ukrainian border.

Given the impact that the Ukraine invasion has had on the security environment in the region, Estonia —which shares a border with Russia —has called for NATO to build up a permanent force in the region that is capable of stopping the Russian offensive

In an exclusive conversation, when WION asked Eva-Maria Liimets, the Foreign Minister of Estonia, if she is worried that Vladimir Putin will not stop at Ukraine, the minister said, “We truly hope that this unprovoked and unjustified war started by Russia will end as soon as possible. So that we will not see any more civilian casualties and also that Ukraine could restore its territorial integrity. Here in Estonia, we don't see that there is a direct military threat to any of the NATO countries."

The minister added, "But as we have seen, Russia has a very aggressive approach towards its neighbours, towards democratic countries in the neighbourhood. We, of course, are a bit worried that we need to have a stronger defence posture so we don't give any reasoning for any miscalculations."

There are around 320,000 ethnic Russians in Estonia. When asked about the sentiment prevailing within that community over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Estonian foreign minister said, “This community is well integrated and of course, there are different views among these people. But the majority of them support Estonian views on this issue.”

Talking about China, the minister said it is "very important that China and other countries would really help us to end this war and also pressure Russia to end this war."

Western nations have warned that Russia could be preparing to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine. When asked about her views on this, Eva-Maria Liimets said, "It is really difficult to predict how this war in Ukraine continues. But I personally and truly hope that Russia stops the violation of international law, the UN Charter, and also other agreements related to peace and security. I truly hope that the international community comes together and helps to avoid another massacre where chemical weapons are used.”

The minister also sent out a solidarity message to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky through WION.

The minister said, “We continue to support your country politically, also towards your aspiration towards EU (membership). We continue to support your country economically. We continue to support your people. We truly hope the war ends, that your country can restore its territorial integrity within the internationally recognised borders."

"I would ask the Russian president to end this unjustified and unprovoked war,” she added.

Watch |'China needs to put pressure on Russia to end war,' says Estonian foreign minister Eva-Maria Liimets