President Karis: We are committed to supporting Ukraine and to boosting Europe’s defence capabilities

"Europeans face a choice this June which will shape the future of the EU: the European Parliament elections," President Alar Karis remarked when meeting his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Bellevue Palace in Berlin today. "It is important that we raise the awareness of our citizens. We cannot allow ourselves to be swayed by short-sighted election promises which are little more than slogans. The decisions we make today will affect us for many years to come."

During their meeting, the heads of state discussed the situation on the Ukrainian front and that in the Middle East in the wake of the unprecedented attack launched by Iran over the weekend. "The conflicts which have broken out around the globe point towards longer-term security threats," President Karis noted. "If we are to counter them, we must continue to invest - and invest even more - in defence."

The Estonian head of state thanked Germany for its major contribution to Baltic air security and to the reinforcement of NATO's eastern flank. The German military presence in the Baltic Sea region is concentrated in Lithuania, where Germany is the lead country in the alliance's Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP).

President Karis remarked that in helping Ukraine, it is real action that will determine matters, not fine words. "The significant assistance that Germany has already given Ukraine shows where Europe's centre of gravity lies," he said. "If the West is able to demonstrate its commitment and boost that assistance, which the Ukrainians so desperately need right now, the country has every chance of winning the war. Estonia has called on - and continues to call on - its partners to allocate 0.25% of their GDP to the defence of Ukraine."

The head of state acknowledged Germany's plans to support the rebuilding of Ukraine and reiterated Estonia's desire to both work with Germany and take part in the conference being planned by it on that very topic. Estonia supports the stance that the rebuilding should be guided by European standards and principles so as to facilitate Ukraine's EU accession.

President Karis outlined the projects in Zhytomyr in which Estonia is involved, adding that on his visits to Ukraine he has seen first-hand that more and more attention is being turned to the fight against corruption. "That is a vital prerequisite for the successful rebuilding of the country," he noted. "To all politicians visiting Ukraine I recommend that they familiarise themselves with the work of the country's National Anti-Corruption Bureau to see just how dedicated the Ukrainians are to making governance more transparent."

EU enlargement was also discussed during the meeting. "Estonia and Germany are of the same mind when it comes to enlargement, which we fully support provided that it is based on the fulfilment of criteria," President Karis explained. The heads of state also talked about energy, with President Karis remarking that partnerships aimed at the development and interconnection of offshore wind farms was one way of more closely integrating Germany in Baltic Sea cooperation, in much the same way as it is already involved in projects in the North Sea region.