Europe must act with “greater urgency” as it forms a coalition to defend Ukraine from further Russian aggression, Estonia’s foreign minister has said.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Margus Tsahkna said Tallinn was ready to play an “active role” in the so-called coalition of the willing, a UK-led initiative to give Ukraine security guarantees after a ceasefire.
But he suggested that the Estonian government was frustrated with the pace of the talks on forming the coalition, which could station around 10,000 peacekeeping troops in Ukraine after the war has ended.
“Our shared goal is a lasting and just peace, but to achieve this, Europe must act with greater urgency and resolve than it has thus far. The primary obstacle to peace is Putin and his ongoing aggression,” Mr Tsahkna said, when asked what role Estonia would play in the coalition of the willing.
He added: “Our pressure must be directed at the aggressor, while our support must go to the victim. Only when Putin understands that time is not on his side will credible negotiations be possible.”
Estonia, a Baltic member of Nato and the EU with a population of 1.3 million, shares a 180-mile border with Russia and has been one of Ukraine’s most vocal supporters since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
The country already spends 3.5 per cent of its annual GDP on defence and has announced plans to increase that figure to 5 per cent, while strongly encouraging European allies to follow suit.
Mr Tsahkna stressed that Estonia “commends the leadership of the UK and France in advancing the discussions on security guarantees for Ukraine,” and said his country was “ready to play an active role in these discussions”.
Margus Tsahkna said Estonia was willing to play an active part in the coalition talks – David Rose for the Telegraph
The coalition of the willing is a four-point plan proposed by Sir Keir Starmer to provide Ukraine with long-lasting security guarantees, in the event that it eventually signs a ceasefire deal with Russia.
It could involve as many as 37 countries from Europe, Asia and the Commonwealth and its primary goal would be deterring Vladimir Putin from breaking the ceasefire and launching a renewed invasion.
The discussions so far have been led by the UK and France, with Sir Keir holding a virtual meeting on Saturday with around two dozen mainly European leaders. Paris also hosted a meeting on March 11, where Australia, Japan and New Zealand reportedly showed interest in joining the coalition.
The total number of peacekeepers from the coalition could range from 10,000-30,000. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, suggested it could comprise “several thousand” from each country, placed at a few key locations.
The Sunday Times said that Royal Navy mine-hunter ships could also help patrol the Black Sea.
Sir Keir is building the coalition in tandem with France, in response to concerns that Donald Trump, the US president who has adopted a much more confrontational approach to Ukraine than his predecessor, can no longer be relied on for security guarantees in Europe.
Russian rocket launchers on the front line in Donetsk – Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP
Mr Tsahkna said Estonia was confident that Mr Trump had retained a “personal dedication” to Nato, but he said it was clear that Europe needed to take on most of the responsibility for defending Ukraine in the future.
“Estonia’s view is that Europe should bear the majority of the responsibility for providing security guarantees to Ukraine, while the participation of the United States remains essential,” he said.
It came as Alexander Stubb, the president of Finland, warned that the prospects of Putin entering sincere peace negotiations with the West were “abysmal.”
He also said that Ukraine needed to be armed “to the teeth” by the West, and that sanctions should be increased on Russia, to put further pressure on Putin.
“I think Putin doesn’t want a ceasefire. Putin doesn’t want peace. His original aim was basically to destroy the independent sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Mr Stubb told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme.
“He hasn’t changed his aim and this is what all of us around the table have to understand. That’s why we have to maximise the pressure on Putin which means more sanctions which means using the frozen assets and which actually means militarising Ukraine to the teeth,” Mr Stubb said.
The Finnish president dismissed discussions about putting troops in Ukraine as premature, and said the first priority should be creating the conditions for a credible peace process.
“We are willing to do concrete measures overall but from our perspective it is too early to talk about boots on the ground,” he said.
Russia opposes Western peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a ceasefire. But Mr Macron said over the weekend: “If Ukraine asks allied forces to be on its territory, it is not up to Russia to accept or not.”
