The Committee held a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia

The Chair of the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze and the First Deputy Chair of the Committee Vadym Halaichuk met with the delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia.

Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze thanked Estonia for constant systematic support of Ukraine, as well as for consistent advocacy of European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine. The Chair of the Committee stressed the efforts of Estonia, as well as other Baltic states, in negotiations with the United States regarding the approval of military aid to Ukraine. “Here we need to join efforts to work with the United States and the European states that have the potential to increase aid to Ukraine, share their reserves and production capabilities.”

Regarding the European integration path, the Chair of the Committee stressed the importance of opening negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the European Union. “This historic decision adopted by the European Council is a great step forward for Ukraine,” said Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze. She noted that it is important to adopt a framework for negotiations before the elections in the European Union. According to her, Ukraine is aware of the challenges on this path, particularly the possible opposition of Hungary. In this regard, it counts on the support of Estonia and the joint work of European partners.

Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze also thanked Estonia for supporting the decision on the operation of the new EU financial mechanism Ukraine Facility. This mechanism envisages attracting more than 50 billion euros of aid for the recovery of Ukraine over the next four years. She noted the members of the European Parliament insisted that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine should be involved in the Government's work with the European side within the framework of this mechanism.

The First Deputy Chairman of the Committee Vadym Halaichuk also thanked Estonia for its comprehensive support. He underlined cooperation at the regional level. A lot of attention is currently focused on the development of Ukraine's interregional cooperation with Western partners because the role of the regions in the reconstruction and restoration of Ukraine will be extremely important. The implementation of joint projects at the community level is a positive example and direction, which, according to Vadym Halychuk, should be developed.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Küllike Syllaste-Ellinga promised Estonia’s support for Ukraine on the way to European integration. She noted that this is a complex and long process, which lasted more than six years in Estonia. Küllike Syllaste-Ellinga expressed optimism about the European integration process of Ukraine. She also assured that Estonia remains committed to providing armed support to Ukraine. It decided on long-term support and will provide 0.25% of GDP for military aid to Ukraine for 4 years. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia also added that Estonia should work with other countries to convince them to support Ukraine.