According to Michal, both Estonia and Lithuania face a challenging and consequential autumn and winter.
“We need to strengthen the defence of our region, help Ukraine prepare for the winter, and reach agreement on the European Union’s next budget,” Michal said.
Lithuania will assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in January 2027. The Estonian Prime Minister wished Lithuania success and stressed that the presidency will provide an important opportunity to advance priorities that matter to Europe. At the end of this year, Estonia will also hand over the chairmanship of Baltic cooperation to Lithuania.
As Estonia and Lithuania are among Ukraine’s largest supporters, the meeting naturally focused on assistance to Ukraine.
“Ukraine needs more military, economic and political support. At the same time, we must make it increasingly difficult for Russia to continue the war. This means strengthening sanctions, curbing the shadow fleet and keeping Russia internationally isolated. There must also be a clear message for Russian combatants: stay in Russia and await a tribunal; there is no place for you in Europe,” Michal said.
The Prime Minister said that progress must also be made on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and that all remaining negotiating clusters should be opened in the autumn. Estonia will host the next Ukraine Recovery Conference in Tallinn in January 2027.
According to Michal, Estonia and Lithuania continue to have very similar assessments of the security situation.
“Russia is seeking to weaken Western countries’ support for Ukraine. This means a greater risk of provocations and hybrid attacks across NATO and the European Union. We must remain vigilant and keep a cool head. We know that NATO works,” Michal said. “We must improve the detection and countering of drones and strengthen the protection of critical infrastructure and other critical sites.”
The meeting also addressed connectivity in the Baltic region and the Rail Baltica project. In Estonia, construction is under way on more than half of the route, and contracts have been signed covering the entire mainline in Estonia.
“Our goal is to complete the mainline by 2030. We must work together to ensure that the project progresses rapidly and secures the maximum possible level of European Union funding,” Michal said.
Discussions on Baltic cooperation will continue on Friday, when an informal meeting of the Baltic prime ministers will take place in Pärnu County, with Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs also attending.
Photo: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjD3n6L
