Estonia’s President Sees Summer Window to End War

Estonian President Alar Karis said on Tuesday, June 9, that a potential window for negotiations to end Russia’s war against Ukraine could open this summer and urged Europe to prepare for that possibility.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Karis said any future peace talks must involve all parties to the conflict and rejected the prospect of separate negotiations.

“It is quite likely that there will be a window of opportunity this summer,” Karis said. “We must prepare for that moment already today. We can continue to pressure Russia and use diplomatic channels so that Russia also comes to the negotiating table and ends the war, because the goal is to end the war.” 

Europe must be ready

Karis said Europe should participate in any future negotiations if Ukraine wants European involvement.

He also said US participation would be beneficial if talks move forward.

“There will be no separate negotiations without all sides of the conflict,” the Estonian leader said.

His comments come as diplomatic efforts to end the war continue amid ongoing fighting and Russian attacks across Ukraine.

Estonia remains one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters

Estonia has been among Ukraine’s most vocal supporters since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, consistently backing military aid, sanctions against Moscow and Ukraine’s future integration into European institutions.

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Russian units stationed on the Kinburn Spit in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region are reportedly withdrawing from parts of the occupied area after Ukrainian strikes disrupted key supply routes, according to the Atesh partisan group. The group said deliveries of ammunition, fuel, and food had been cut off, forcing elements of Russia’s 337th Regiment to abandon some positions.

Karis’s remarks reflect growing discussions among European leaders about possible diplomatic pathways to ending the war while maintaining pressure on Russia.

Neither Karis nor Zelensky provided details on what developments could create the potential opportunity for negotiations later this summer.

The Ukrainian government has repeatedly stated that any future settlement must respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

On Monday, Zelensky said in a Sky News interview that he would accept freezing the war along current front lines as the quickest path to a ceasefire, while stressing it must lead to diplomacy. However, Moscow has instead insisted that any settlement would require Ukraine to surrender the entire Donetsk region.

He stressed, however, that any freeze would need to be part of a broader diplomatic process aimed at preventing renewed aggression.

“We want to stop the war in a way where the war will not come back,” he said. “It’s not the idea just to freeze, but the quickest way is to freeze and to move it to a diplomatic setting.”