First of all, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk stressed that Ukraine greatly appreciates the leadership of the Estonian Parliament in political support of Ukraine and expressed gratitude for the constant military, humanitarian and financial support.
During the meeting in Kyiv, Ruslan Stefanchuk thanked the Government of Estonia for the recent decision to provide the 18th package of military and technical assistance to Ukraine: “This is of paramount importance for us, as the situation at the frontline is difficult.”
At the same time, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine expressed gratitude for joining the open letter of the Speakers of the Parliaments and the President of the European Parliament to the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson on the introduction of the bill on international assistance to the U.S. House of Representatives, which provides for appropriations for Ukraine.
The Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine also thanked Estonia for its active position in bringing russia to justice for war crimes and for joining all Ukraine's initiatives in this important area.
The parties also discussed the issue of sanctions. “Restrictions on russia must be tough enough to stop the russian military machine,” said Ruslan Stefanchuk, adding that the most important thing in imposing sanctions is the impossibility of circumventing the restrictions already in place. In this regard, the Estonian government has already approved a bill on the use of frozen russian assets to further support Ukraine. “For this national compensation mechanism to work, it is necessary to complete the relevant amendments to national legislation. And this is the task of parliamentarians – to find the necessary legal mechanism,” he said.
The focus was on Ukraine's European and Euro-Atlantic integration. The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine noted that he relies on Estonia's leadership in achieving ambitious results of the next NATO Summit in Washington, D.C. – to be invited to join the North Atlantic Alliance during the Summit.
Ruslan Stefanchuk noted that he was grateful for Estonia's accession to the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine by the Group of Seven leaders.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine thanked for the support of the Peace Formula of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, in particular, for Estonia's involvement in the implementation of point 7 “Restoration of justice” and readiness to become a co-leader in the implementation of point 5 “Restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine”. Ruslan Stefanchuk expressed hope that Estonia would participate in the Global Peace Summit.
Following the meeting, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stressed that Estonia has been and remains a leader in supporting Ukraine. In particular, the parties noted that many decisions adopted by the European Parliament and other European institutions were initiated in Estonia, mainly in the country's Parliament. Ruslan Stefanchuk also said that the leaders of the parliaments of Ukraine and Estonia discussed the prospects of cooperation and Estonia's further support for Ukraine on its path to the European Union and NATO.
For his part, the Speaker of the Riigikogu of the Republic of Estonia, Lauri Hussar, expressed his deep solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, “who have been waging this courageous war against the aggressor for several years now”. He emphasised that Estonia is a leader in providing military assistance to Ukraine, given the country's per capita income.
“The most important thing now is to provide military assistance to Ukraine, and to provide it quickly. Until Ukraine wins this war. All democratic countries should share this confidence of Estonia,” the head of the Estonian Parliament emphasised.
In conclusion, he said that Estonia welcomes the security guarantees that Ukraine has already signed with a number of countries, noting that Estonia is preparing to sign the same treaty. In particular, a security assurance treaty is being developed to ensure that Ukraine has everything it needs to win this war as soon as possible and live in a free and peaceful world.