Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Oleksandr Turchynov has met with Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament Marko Mihkelson and Estonian deputies to discuss the situation in the Donbas as a result of Russian aggression, as well as issues of information, energy and cyber aggression by Russia.
“We do not see any attempts (by Russian President Vladimir) Putin to stop the armed conflict in the east. On the contrary, the Russian Federation is doing all to continue the escalation of the conflict, increasing its military presence along the Russian-Ukrainian border,” the NSDC’s press service quoted Turchynov as saying on Wednesday.
He said that the EU’s consistent and single position on the extension of sanctions against Russia is important to the Ukrainian state.
“At the same time, the continued construction of Nord Stream causes significant damage to the economy and security of Ukraine, completely contradicts the sanctions policy, weakening the energy and economic security of Europe,” Turchynov added.
According to him, Russia is a country where terrorism has become a form of the state’s foreign policy.
“Evidence of this is not only aggression against Ukraine, but also a chemical attack in Salisbury and hybrid technologies to influence the political situation in many Western countries,” he said, adding that the Kremlin would consider any mitigation of the attitude towards Russia to be a victory.
Mihkelson, in turn, noted that Estonia is a reliable friend of Ukraine, which “will always fully support your country both at the European level and at the level of the North Atlantic Alliance.”
The sides also discussed the intensification of military-technical cooperation with the EU countries, in particular, joint projects in the defense and industrial sector.
“Ukraine is the shield of Europe, therefore strengthening our defensive positions is, in fact, strengthening the defense and security of Europe,” Turchynov said.
