Ukraine's 'long-range sanctions' work – Tsahkna

This was stated to journalists by Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna before the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Cyprus on Thursday, Ukrinform's correspondent reports.

Tsahkna said that everyone was talking about who would talk to Putin, but the reality was that Putin did not want to talk to anyone and was putting increasing pressure on Ukraine. He added that every night they saw massive strikes against Ukrainians, so Europe needed to focus on how to strengthen its position and make many important decisions.

To force Russia to sit down at the negotiating table, Europe must impose more sanctions and do so quickly, the minister believes.

The first principle that should guide peace negotiations, he said, is ensuring Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, which includes advancing the EU enlargement process.

He stressed that in the future there could be no neutral or buffer zones between the European Union, NATO, and Russia. According to the minister, Ukraine had to be accepted and supported more strongly, and this had to be done immediately because it was the foundation.

Tsahkna also stated that Ukraine needed to continue long-range strikes, which he referred to as "long-range sanctions," adding that they were working well. He emphasized that more pressure had to be applied on Russia and that strategic patience was necessary.

He further noted that security guarantees for Ukraine should be viewed more broadly as security guarantees for Europe. According to him, Ukraine was the largest military force in the European region, and this needed to be understood.

As Ukrinform reported, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas believes that before deciding on a chief negotiator with Russia, the EU must clearly define a list of demands to the Kremlin for ending the war in Ukraine and ensuring security for Europe.