Full NATO membership is ultimate guarantee of security for Ukraine - Estonian FM
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, who is visiting Kyiv, considers full NATO membership the final guarantee of Ukraine's security, and reiterated Tallinn's readiness to send troops after a ceasefire is reached.
As reported by an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent, he stated this at a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andriy Sybiha, on Monday.
"Unfortunately, Russia is not only aggressive toward Ukraine; it is also testing the unity of its allies, as well as NATO. Therefore, our position on Ukraine's path to NATO is very clear. The ultimate guarantee of security for Ukraine is full membership in NATO, and this opportunity cannot be lost under any circumstances," Tsakhkna said.
He also noted that Estonia was "the first country at the government level" to agree and clearly state that "we are willing to take risks to guarantee Ukraine's security with troops on the ground."
The Foreign Minister added that the Coalition of the Willing is currently working on this mechanism.
"Our message was very clear: this security guarantee should lead you to NATO membership when the conditions are met by the ceasefire and the process begins. Therefore, you can be confident that we will participate and hope that all other allies will decide to take the risk if there is a need for security guarantees on the path to NATO membership in the future," the minister emphasized.