The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, visited Estonia on 9 June, meeting the Estonian president, Alar Karis, before joining the prime ministers of the Nordic and Baltic countries for a summit on Ukraine, defence and European security; Estonian World streamed the joint press conference with Zelenskyy and the Nordic-Baltic leaders live from Tallinn.
Estonia hosted the Nordic-Baltic Eight summit during its presidency of the regional cooperation format. The summit focused on Ukraine’s defence capabilities, pressure on Russia, European security, competitiveness, artificial intelligence and regional security. According to the Estonian government, the Nordic and Baltic countries have provided more than €42 billion in support to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, making the region’s contribution the largest in the world per capita.
Estonian World streamed the joint press conference with Zelenskyy and the Nordic-Baltic leaders live from Tallinn at the conclusion of the summit; the press conference begins at the 18-minute mark of the video.
Before the NB8 summit, Zelenskyy met Karis
Before attending the Nordic-Baltic Eight summit, Zelenskyy met Karis at Kadriorg, where the two presidents discussed Estonia-Ukraine cooperation, Ukraine’s path towards the European Union and NATO, the future of European security, Russia’s responsibility for aggression and war crimes, the return of Ukrainian children deported by Russia and ways to increase pressure on Moscow.
Zelenskyy thanked Estonia for hosting the Ukraine-Nordic-Baltic summit and said the coming weeks could be decisive, with meetings at EU, G7 and NATO level ahead.
“The main thing that is very important today is to prepare for the negotiations and decisions that we all expect from the summits at the European Union, G7 and NATO levels,” Zelenskyy said. “June and July this year may determine a lot.”
He said Ukraine’s frontline positions were strong and that its long-range strikes were affecting Russian logistics, oil refining and military production. Russia, he said, had to be forced onto a diplomatic track, while Europe needed “a real and strong voice” in any negotiations.
Zelenskyy also said air defence would remain Ukraine’s priority for as long as the war continued, including support through the PURL – the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List, a NATO-coordinated mechanism through which allies fund the purchase of US-made weapons and defence equipment for Ukraine – and bilateral work on anti-ballistic capabilities.
Karis calls for faster EU talks
After the meeting, Karis said Ukraine’s place was in the EU and NATO and called for the rapid opening of all clusters in the EU-Ukraine accession negotiations.
“Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and NATO is not a distant hope for the Ukrainian people but a justified expectation,” Karis said. “Estonia supports the rapid opening of all clusters in the EU-Ukraine accession negotiations – already this month.”
Zelenskyy echoed the call, saying Ukraine had done everything necessary to open all six negotiating clusters for future EU membership.
“There are no obstacles,” he said. “It is important that this progress is made – that the clusters are opened – and that the Russians also see that Europe keeps its promises and does not give up its interests.”
Stronger pressure on Russia
At a joint press conference with Zelenskyy, Karis said Estonia and Ukraine understood one another “without words”, bound by similar history and a shared view of the future.
He recalled meeting Ukrainian war veterans in Narva who had described themselves as “a bulletproof vest for Europe”. Ukraine, he said, had kept “dark brutality” away from Europe.
Karis said the pressure on Russia must increase, including through the enforcement of existing sanctions and stronger measures against Russian energy carriers and their transport. He also warned against attempts to normalise Russia’s return to international sport and culture while it continues its war against Ukraine.
Zelenskyy called for continued sanctions and said the European Union’s 21st sanctions package was needed. He also said the Baltic Sea and the North Sea must not be left as free operating space for Russia’s shadow fleet.
Karis said Europe must be ready, when the time comes, to sit at the negotiating table with a common mandate and jointly formed positions. He repeated the principle: “Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine, nothing about Europe without Europe.”
Estonia and Ukraine pledge deeper defence cooperation
Later on 9 June, Zelenskyy and the Estonian prime minister, Kristen Michal, issued a joint declaration on enhanced security and defence cooperation, saying Russia’s continuing war against Ukraine had “fundamentally altered the security landscape of Europe” and made closer defence cooperation between like-minded partners more urgent.
The declaration commits Estonia and Ukraine to deepen cooperation on security assistance and crisis consultation, the exchange of battlefield experience, the supply of defence capabilities and solutions, defence industrial cooperation and air defence.
The two countries said they would explore ways to strengthen Ukraine’s drone capability and technological edge, including through the “Drone Deal” cooperation format. Ukraine and Estonia are also continuing work on a separate Drone Deal agreement, with a draft under consideration by the Estonian side.
The declaration also underlines the importance of integrated, multi-layered air defence, including anti-ballistic missile defence capabilities in Europe. Zelenskyy thanked Estonia for its contribution to the PURL initiative and said Ukraine counted on continued support.
Zelenskyy also presented Michal with the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, second class, thanking Estonia and the prime minister personally for supporting Ukraine.
First ladies focus on education, children and culture
Zelenskyy was accompanied by Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska, whose programme in Tallinn focused on education, children, culture and support for Ukrainian families.
Zelenska and Estonia’s First Lady, Sirje Karis, took part in the signing of memoranda through which five Estonian higher education institutions joined the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies: Tallinn University, Tartu Applied Health Sciences University, the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, Tallinn Health Care College and Tallinn University of Technology. The coalition now brings together 81 institutions in 26 countries.
Zelenska also met representatives of the Estonian Centre for International Development, which has supported projects by the Olena Zelenska Foundation. The cooperation began in 2023 with the Room for Childhood project, through which Estonia helped build homes for four large foster families in the Zhytomyr region.
This year, the Estonian Centre for International Development is supporting three foundation projects worth a total of €500,000, including the restoration and equipping of a shelter in Olevsk, two more sessions of the Voices Camp for children affected by war trauma and the expansion of the School of Superheroes educational space at the Zhytomyr Regional Children’s Hospital.
At the Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom, Zelenska also took part in the launch of a Ukrainian-language audio guide. She said the museum, which tells the story of Soviet and Nazi occupations in Estonia, felt familiar to Ukrainians because the two nations had endured “the same repressions” and fought “the same oppressors”. The Ukrainian audio guide at Vabamu is part of a wider Ukrainian-language guide initiative that now covers 117 landmarks in 59 countries.
Analysis: Kasemets says Ukraine’s position has improved
Writing on Facebook later in the evening, the Estonian state secretary, Keit Kasemets, said the strategic picture had become “much more favourable” for Ukraine over the past six months – and therefore also for Estonia.
Kasemets said the situation on the front had stabilised, while Ukraine’s growing drone capability had damaged significant parts of Russia’s oil industry and improved Kyiv’s position. He said Europe, and especially the Nordic and Baltic countries, had played an important role in Ukraine’s stronger position as its biggest supporters.
According to Kasemets, the Tallinn summit discussed even closer Nordic-Baltic and Ukrainian defence and drone cooperation.
On possible talks with Russia, Kasemets said the key question was not who should negotiate, but from what position and on what terms. Talks centred on Ukrainian retreat and European concessions to Russia would be harmful to Europe and directly dangerous to Estonia, he argued.
Negotiations would make sense only when Ukraine, with the support of its European and Nordic-Baltic allies, had enough leverage to agree terms that would ensure lasting peace and stability in the region, Kasemets said.
See also our special blog on Russia’s war against Ukraine.
