Latest news with #Tsahkna
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Estonia urges pressure on Russia after deadly strike on Sumy
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has responded to Russia's deadly strike on the city of Sumy on 3 June. Source: Tsahkna on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda Details: On the morning of 3 June, Russian forces attacked central Sumy, killing two people and injuring 20 more, including a 17-year-old teenager. A medical facility, several vehicles and residential buildings were damaged. Tsahkna reacted by recalling that Russia has repeatedly rejected ceasefire proposals, as it aims to continue what is now seen in Sumy. "...barbaric attacks on civilians aimed at breaking Ukraine's spirit & erasing the country. Only increased pressure will force Russia to end this war," he stated. The attack came a day after Ukrainian and Russian delegations held a meeting in Istanbul that lasted just over an hour. Background: Following the talks, the parties agreed on new exchanges of specific categories of military personnel, and Ukraine handed over a list of several hundred children abducted by Russia. Meanwhile, the Russian delegation claimed it had proposed a temporary ceasefire along certain sections of the front. Dmitry Medvedev, former president of Russia, said that the true aim of the "peace talks" in Istanbul was to ensure Russia's "swift and complete victory". Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Estonia calls for "unbearable pressure" on Putin after large-scale attack
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has strongly condemned Russia's latest large-scale attack on Ukraine, which occurred on the night of 24-25 May. Source: Tsahkna on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda Details: Tsahkna said these strikes are further proof that Moscow is not giving up its attempts to destroy Ukraine as a state. Quote: "Another night of Russia demonstrating its ongoing aim to wipe Ukraine off the map with swarms of drones & missiles – including ballistic ones." More details: The foreign minister emphasised that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is not going to stop on his own and the only way to end this aggression is through maximum international pressure. Quote: "Putin continues this until the pressure becomes unbearable. It's in our hands to make him stop." Background: Estonia is one of Ukraine's most consistent partners in Europe and has been a strong advocate for tough sanctions against Russia and increased military aid for Kyiv. Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has called for the "strongest international pressure" on Russia after the latest large-scale attack. Following the attack, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernová stated that Russia is mocking the international community and the US's efforts to achieve peace. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia 'hasn't faced enough pressure' —Ukrainian, foreign diplomats react to overnight attack on Kyiv
Western officials renewed calls for tougher sanctions on Russia after a large-scale missile and drone attack hit Kyiv overnight on May 24, which injured over a dozen civilians and damaged multiple residential buildings. The attack came just hours after the start of the largest prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna wrote on X: "Russia's continued aggression has a simple explanation: it hasn't faced enough pressure to stop. The power to change that lies with us." He called for increased military aid, tougher sanctions, and actions targeting Russia's shadow oil fleet and frozen assets. EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova described the assault as "another horrific missile and drone attack," noting that areas where her colleagues live had been struck. "If anyone still doubts Russia wants war to continue — read the news," she wrote. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the attack as Russia's "response to international peace efforts," referencing the lack of progress since last week's meeting in Istanbul. "Instead of sending its so-called 'peace memorandum,' Russia sends deadly drones and missiles at civilians," Sybiha said. "There were many fires and explosions in the city overnight," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X. "Residential buildings, cars, businesses have been damaged. Sadly, there are injuries." Ukraine's Air Force said it intercepted six ballistic missiles targeting the capital and shot down 128 of the 250 Shahed-type drones launched nationwide. The attack on Kyiv comes just a week after Ukrainian and Russian delegations met in Istanbul for peace talks that ended without a ceasefire agreement. During the May 16 meeting, Moscow demanded Kyiv withdraw from four Ukrainian regions it claims to have annexed, despite lacking full control over them. Ukrainian officials said the Russian delegation appeared to lack real authority and was unprepared to negotiate substantive terms. One outcome of the talks was a large-scale prisoner exchange, with 1,000 prisoners returning on each side beginning May 23. Ukraine had also proposed an immediate ceasefire and a potential face-to-face meeting between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin — an offer Moscow declined. Read also: Russia hits Kyiv with drones, missiles hours after largest prisoner exchange kicks off We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Daily Tribune
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Tribune
Russia Releases Greek-Owned Oil Tanker After Seizure in Baltic Sea
Russia has released the Green Admire, a Greek-owned oil tanker flying a Liberian flag, days after detaining the vessel in its territorial waters, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported. Russian authorities seized the tanker on Sunday after it left the Estonian port of Sillamäe and navigated through a legally designated channel crossing Russian waters. According to ship tracking data from LSEG, it is now en route to the Dutch port of Rotterdam. Estonia's Foreign Ministry condemned the seizure, with Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna suggesting it was a retaliatory move by Moscow in response to Estonia's crackdown on Russia's so-called 'shadow fleet' — a group of aging tankers used to transport Russian oil covertly across the Baltic Sea. The Estonian Navy has been actively inspecting such ships in recent weeks. 'This incident shows that Russia continues to behave unpredictably,' Tsahkna said, confirming he had alerted NATO allies about the situation. In response to the incident, Estonia will reroute maritime traffic to and from Sillamäe through exclusively Estonian waters to avoid further confrontations. The incident follows heightened regional tensions, including the recent breach of NATO airspace by a Russian fighter jet after Estonia intercepted a suspected shadow fleet vessel. The Russian shadow fleet largely consists of outdated tankers operated by opaque entities registered in countries like the UAE or Marshall Islands, and flagged in jurisdictions such as Gabon or the Cook Islands. Some of these ships have also been accused of transporting stolen Ukrainian grain. The European Union has targeted these vessels with sanctions, adding 70 new ships to its blacklist in February, with more expected to be sanctioned in the coming days.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'It is already being prepared' — Ukraine, Lithuania call for harsher sanctions against Russia in 18th package
Various European leaders are calling on the European Union to implement harsher sanctions against Russia in the upcoming 18th sanctions package. Speaking to reporters in Brussels on May 20, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said that harsher sanctions must be imposed as Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to reject a 30-day ceasefire proposal. "Deception, disruption, distraction, and delay, and the whole point of it is to avoid sanctions," Budrys , in a likely reference to Putin's phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump that yielded no commitments to a ceasefire. "We Europeans have to stop this vicious cycle and the instrument to stop it is to impose new sanctions." Budrys' comments come following the EU's of the 17th package of sanctions against Russia on May 20, primarily targeting its shadow fleet of oil tankers. Budrys further called on the EU to target Russia's energy, liquid natural gas (LNG), oil, and nuclear fuel exports as well as financial institutions. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on May 19 on X that the next package of restrictions is "already in motion." President Volodymyr Zelensky echoed similar points in his evening address on May 20, stating that the next sanctions package "is already being prepared." Zelensky further called for the EU to to apply additional sanctions on "Russian oil, the tanker fleet, all their energy infrastructure that finances the war, all their banks, all financial schemes, and Russia's military industry." "A new European sanctions package — the 17th — is already in place. This is a step in the right direction, and there should be as many sanctioning steps as necessary for Russia to become interested in peace and to feel the full price of its aggression and desire to prolong the war," Zelensky said. Ukraine's European allies are tightening sanctions against Russia as Moscow refuses to cease fire. Despite Russia's refusal, no new U.S. sanctions have been imposed so far, with Trump saying that implementing sanctions "could also make it much worse," following the phone call with Putin. Several media outlets reported on May 20 on European leaders' frustrations the lack of U.S. sanctions against Russia, with a senior European official telling the New York Times (NYT) that Trump "never seemed invested in joining sanctions on Russia," the publication wrote. NYT further reported, citing a White House official, that Trump refuses to impose sanctions on Russia as it may hinder future business and trade opportunities with Moscow. Read also: Trump refusing to adopt sanctions against Russia as it would affect business opportunities with Moscow, NYT reports We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
