Stenbock House, 24 July 2024 – On his first day in office, the new Estonian head of government Kristen Michal made calls to his Finnish counterpart Petteri Orpo and to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine.
Prime Minister Michal confirmed to the Ukrainian leader that his government would continue to support Ukraine in every way possible. “Our shared objective is a Ukrainian victory,” he said. “My governing coalition has pledged that Estonia will continue to provide 0.25% of its GDP in military support to Ukraine at least until 2027. We are also actively contributing to the rebuilding of the beleaguered country, and providing it with other forms of assistance.”
Prime Minister Michal and President Zelenskyy discussed the situation on the front and the military assistance being provided by Ukraine’s allies. “Russia must get the message that we will back Ukraine for as long as it takes,” the Estonian head of government remarked. “That is why the decisions made at the recent NATO summit are so important.” He says efforts must persist to raise the cost of aggression for Russia by intensifying sanctions and preventing their circumvention. “I and my government will continue to work towards international solutions that enable frozen Russian assets to be deployed as quickly and extensively as possible in support of Ukraine,” he said.
Speaking to his Finnish counterpart, Prime Minister Michal outlined his government’s priorities and discussed opportunities for cooperation. “Fostering closer ties with Finland and the other Nordic-Baltic countries is one of my priorities as head of government,” he explained,
adding that Estonia would continue to plough the same foreign policy course. The key objective of the new Estonian government is to offer people and companies a sense of security and thereby support economic growth. Among other things, a significant role will be played in this by national defence and cooperation with allies. “Defence cooperation between Estonia and Finland is excellent, and its priority must be the Gulf of Finland,” Prime Minister Michal said. “But we also need to focus on the protection of critical maritime infrastructure and energy security.”
