According to Prime Minister Kallas, targeting the civilian population of Ukraine is a systemic military tactic of Russia, which is also confirmed by the attack on the Kramatorsk train station in the Donetsk oblast, which is one of the evacuation centres for people escaping the war. “The brutal killing of innocent people in Ukraine by Russia will not go unpunished. Our message is uniform: the perpetrators and planners of the war crimes will be brought to justice,” said Kallas. The prime minister added that Estonia fully supports the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and the International Criminal Court in investigating the war crimes of Russia. “We will also send our own experts to support the investigation,” she said.
Prime Minister Kallas emphasised that our sanctions against Russia must be much stronger. “The European Union confirmed a strong fifth package of sanctions last night, but as the sale of oil and gas is the main source of income for the slaughterhouse of Kremlin, we must move on to energy sanctions. It must be included in the next sanctions package, which is already being developed,” Kallas emphasised. “The Estonian government made a fundamental decision yesterday to abandon the use of Russian gas,” Kallas added.
Prime Minister Kallas pointed out that we must continue to isolate Russia in every possible way. She highlighted the decision of the UN General Assembly yesterday to suspend the membership of Russia in the Human Rights Council. “With this decision, the world clearly told Putin: atrocities have consequences and an aggressor has no place on the global stage,” Kallas said.
Kallas and Martin also discussed helping Ukrainian refugees. According to Prime Minister Kallas, Estonia has received a large number of Ukrainian people who have fled the war. “We are trying to provide them with comprehensive support, but this has put us under considerable pressure and we are looking for ways to share the burden more equally with the EU and other partners,” Kallas explained.
The prime ministers also spoke about the promotion of Estonian–Irish bilateral cooperation in the fields of digital services, energy, and the green transition. “The Irish prime minister was interested in our e-governance and e-services and I assured him that we are fully prepared to share our experiences with them,” said Kallas.
Press statement by Prime Minister Kallas (in English): https://valitsus.ee/en/news/press-statement-prime-minister-kaja-kallas-after-meeting-prime-minister-ireland-micheal-martin
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stenbockimaja/sets/72177720297957328/
