Poland, Estonia ready to assist Ukraine in joining EU: FM

Poland and Estonia are ready to provide Ukraine with the necessary assistance in future negotiations on its EU membership, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau said on Friday in Warsaw after meeting his Estonian counterpart, Urmas Reinsalu.

As he stressed, Estonia is a very important political partner for Poland. “It is our ally in the region, we are united by a community of interests, a community of goals, we cooperate closely both in the EU and in NATO, in regional and global organisations,” the minister pointed out.

He stressed that the bilateral dialogue is intense and that the most important issues “always remain security and defence, energy and infrastructure cooperation and both eastern and regional policies.”

💬 The position we stand on is that the prosecution of Russia's crimes in Ukraine is of the utmost importance. Those responsible for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity on 🇺🇦 territory must be held accountable.

| FM @RauZbigniew after meeting with FM @UrmasReinsalu pic.twitter.com/Dky3grQ1mW

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs 🇵🇱 (@PolandMFA) August 5, 2022

Touching upon the ongoing war in the east, the FM explained that “we are working together with Estonia to ensure that Ukraine is not left alone in the fight against the aggressor,” adding that both the countries “are determined and ready to continue our efforts in this regard.”

Mr Rau also emphasised that Poland and Estonia are ready to provide all necessary assistance to Ukraine in future negotiations on its membership of the European Union. “We believe that granting Ukraine EU candidate status is the best strategic choice, both for Ukraine and for the European Union itself,” he said.

’Increased pressure on Moscow necessary’

Estonia’s FM Reinsalu noted that his country attaches a very high priority to security in the region, saying that “we need to step up pressure on the aggressor, on Russia, which is committing genocide against the Ukrainian people and acting against Ukrainian statehood.”

Met with my good colleauge @RauZbigniew today in 🇵🇱 #Warsaw to discuss Russia’s brutal war in #Ukraine.

Agreed that making concessions to the agressor undermines the integrity of international law & democratic principles. #StopRussia #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/IWhbS7oZrw

— Urmas Reinsalu (@UrmasReinsalu) August 5, 2022

He also agreed that sanctions against the Kremlin should be strengthened. “We need to raise the level of ambition in terms of our EU approach when it comes to military and other aid to Ukraine,” he assessed, adding that it is necessary to isolate Russia in international forums.

As he stressed, the ongoing war is not only about Ukraine itself, but also determines the security of the continent. “It is about a fundamental question: are we, as people, as nations, able to defend fundamental values for us, for our children and for our grandchildren who will be looking at us in a hundred years’ time?,” he asked.