At her meeting with Chancellor Scholz, Prime Minister Kallas emphasised that our most important task is to help Ukraine win the war, and to do so, we need to increase military assistance. “I commend Germany's efforts in this regard. Germany has been one of the largest donors of military aid to Ukraine. It is aid that will save lives and will help bring Ukraine closer to victory. At the same time, I call on countries to continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine, as well as assistance to repair and maintain critical infrastructure. We must be prepared for a long confrontation with Russia,” said Kallas. “Talks about peace or a ceasefire today are very dangerous. They serve only Russia's interests. A pause on the battlefield gives Russia the opportunity to collect themselves and prepare for a new offensive,” she explained.
Kallas also noted that the Russian aggression in Ukraine must fail unequivocally and that it will also require continuing economic and political pressure. “The European Union's 9th sanctions package must be adopted quickly and a quick solution must be found for the use of Russia's frozen assets in support of Ukraine. Holding war criminals accountable is also critically important. We hope for Germany's strong support for the establishment of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression,” said Kallas.
According to Prime Minister Kallas, we will only ensure European security if the so far unshakable fundamental principles, such as the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states and the intolerance of aggression, continue to apply in the future. “Given Germany's weight and importance in Europe, we naturally see Germany as a strong leader in ensuring lasting security in Europe. Discussions on the European security architecture must be held together, and Russia's neighbouring countries in the EU and NATO have an important role to play here.”
“We must help Ukraine on its way to EU as well as NATO membership, based on the decisions taken in Bucharest in 2008 and Madrid in 2022. The full post-war integration of Ukraine into the Euro-Atlantic region is essential for Ukraine's future and essential for ensuring peace and security in Europe,” noted Kallas.
At the meeting, the security of the Baltic Sea region was also discussed. “I thank Germany for their dedication and very concrete steps that secure the defence of NATO’s eastern flank and their presence in Lithuania as a NATO framework nation and in ensuring NATO air policing in Estonia,” said Kallas.
Together with Chancellor Scholz and Achim Berg, the President of Germany's largest digital association Bitkom, Prime Minister Kallas also spoke today at the Digital Summit 2022 in Berlin, where she presented the experiences of the Estonian digital society and e-governance.
Kallas emphasised that digital transformation contributes to the preservation and growth of democracy. “In the digital age, people live their lives online. The state must be where people are and provide them with high-quality e-services. This is an important part of building trust between the state and citizens,”she said. The Prime Minister also pointed out that one of the key pillars of the sustainability of the digital state is cyber security. “Alongside the conventional war in Russia, there is a cyber war going on against Ukraine and other countries. Adversaries are always looking for weak spots to harm us, which is why it is extremely important to work on maintaining and increasing the security of cyberspace,” said Kallas at the discussion.
At today's conference, it was also announced that Estonia and Germany will cooperate in the digitalisation of the public sector in Germany. Estonia is the first country with which the GovTech Campus Germany, the centre for e-governance in Berlin, has decided to enter into such a cooperation agreement.
Photos (Bundesregierung): https://www.flickr.com/photos/stenbockimaja/albums/72177720304327057
