There will be no pauses for Russia’s benefit — Zelenskyy during his visit to Estonia

Alar Karis shared the information on X.

"Today is a very special day, as we greet President Zelenskyy in Estonia. Our strong friendship is based on shared values, ideals we drive for are always democracy and freedom," Alar Karis wrote.

Earlier, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna announced President Zelenskyy's visit to the country.

He noted that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba came to Estonia together with President Zelenskyy.

"It’s a great honour to welcome good friends and allies Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Dmytro Kuleba in Tallinn. We give a strong message & confirmation to Ukraine that Estonia stands firmly by their side & together we will win this war," wrote Minister Tsahkna in his tweet.

Photo: Estonian Foreign Minister

"A pause on the battlefield on Ukraine’s territory is not a pause in the war": Zelenskyy during the meeting with the President of Estonia 

President Zelenskyy said that the pause at the front does not mean that it is an end to the war and it does not lead to a political dialogue with Russia or anyone else, this pause will only help Russia.

"We know how many drones and artillery shells they produce per day. We see what they lack, that they have a big deficit with both drones and artillery," Zelenskyy said.

He also emphasized that a pause at the front would help Russian forces regroup: "This is a pause that will help them. They are running behind. The world is also running behind in filling Ukraine's warehouses. Yet the world is helping Ukraine either way, and Russia has a deficit. And we can see how this deficit affects their resilience on the battlefield."

Zelenskyy emphasized that in the first year of the full-scale invasion, Russia lost its combat units, combat officers and thousands of soldiers. They will now try to build up their forces and mobilize more occupiers to fight in Ukraine.

Estonia opposes restrictions on weapons transferred to Ukraine by Western partners

The President of Ukraine and his Estonian counterpart held a meeting during which Karis said that Ukraine should not be restricted from striking with Western weapons on Russia’s territory.

"By providing our support, we cannot prevent the destruction of facilities on the aggressor's territory in order to slow down the advance of Russian troops. That is why there should be no restrictions on the weapons that are transferred to Ukraine," the Estonian president said.

Estonia will annually provide 0.25% of its defense budget to Ukraine until 2027

"We have joined the G7 initiative to ensure bilateral assistance to Ukraine. We will also support Ukraine in the period from 2024 to 2027. We will provide 0.25% of our defense budget to Ukraine every year and encourage everyone else to provide assistance to Ukraine," the Estonian president said during a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He also emphasized that Estonia would continue to support Ukraine, in particular in military terms.

According to President Karis, Estonia's long-term contribution until 2027 will amount to €1.2 billion. 

"Within the EU, we have already provided support to Ukraine in the amount of about €5 billion. This support should be continued. Estonia's long-term contribution from the beginning of the full-scale war until 2027 will amount to €1.2 billion. Ukraine needs more and better weapons," he said.

• On January 10, Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the Lithuanian capital on a visit: the country's President Gitanas Nausėda announced a €200 million long-term assistance package for Ukraine. Zelenskyy also met with the head of the Lithuanian government and parliament.