President Karis discusses support for Ukraine with Czech counterpart

President Alar Karis met today with his Czech counterpart Petr Pavel in Vilnius, where he is attending the Three Seas Initiative summit. The heads of state discussed multilateral support for Ukraine, including in its journey towards EU and NATO accession, and the reinforcement of the defensive capabilities of NATO's eastern flank.

President Karis says the defence and deterrence posture on the eastern flank must continue to be reinforced and that Ukraine's path towards membership of the alliance must be accelerated.

Speaking of EU enlargement, the Estonian head of state said that rapid advances in the integration of both Ukraine and Moldova were imperative. "Ukraine has made good progress in implementing reforms," he noted. "Their determination to see this through despite the ongoing war has been impressive, as have the results. The EU must make decisions on the legal framework of the accession negotiations with Ukraine by June at the latest."

The head of state also expressed Estonia's interest in working with Czechia in aid of Ukrainian education reforms. "Education and research in Ukraine need special attention and support," he remarked, confirming the Estonian Centre for International Development's willingness to contribute to joint projects.

President Karis praised the Czech initiative to assist the Ukrainians in acquiring projectiles with which to defend themselves against Russia's aggression. "As we speak, Ukraine is in dire need of weapons, ammunition and supplies," he said. "We are doing our best to help the country obtain them. The various initiatives that have been launched to this end are much needed, as they directly support Ukrainians on the battlefield."

Discussing cooperation between Estonia and Czechia, the heads of state reiterated their interest in their countries working together in the fields of digitalisation and cyber security. "There is also potential for us to collaborate on education technology," President Karis added.

While in Vilnius today, President Karis also met with Apostolic Nuncio to the Baltic States Petar Rajič.