Estonia calls for EU talks with Ukraine and Moldova and use of Russian assets

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has expressed hope that the European Union will open new negotiation clusters with Ukraine and Moldova and called for frozen Russian assets to be used to provide further support to Kyiv.

According to Report's European bureau, Tsahkna made the remarks to journalists ahead of a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg.

"So I do hope that the Russian frozen assets that we have in the position of the European Union, 200 billion, we are going to use that," he said.

The minister said the EU should also discuss additional sources of funding for assistance to Ukraine amid intensified Russian attacks.

Tsahkna also stressed the need to strengthen European security in response to what he described as an increase in acts of sabotage and terrorist attacks. In particular, he advocated measures to restrict entry into Europe for former Russian combatants after the end of the war.

The Estonian foreign minister also highlighted the scale of tourist visa issuance to Russian citizens, noting that Schengen Area countries issued 650,000 tourist visas to Russians last year. He called for a review of the visa restrictions policy in light of potential risks to European security.

In addition, Tsahkna said he hoped all negotiating clusters with Ukraine and Moldova would be opened as part of their EU accession processes.

"Europe must enlarge," he stressed.