Estonia's foreign minister named the sanction Putin fears most
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stated that the Kremlin fears most the possible imposition of a complete ban on maritime transport within the European Union.
He made this remark in a comment to ERR following a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
According to Tsahkna, Russia is trying to drag Europe into a protracted negotiation process to buy time and avoid increased sanctions pressure.
“There is one very painful thing that Putin fears: a complete ban on maritime transport throughout the European Union,” the Estonian foreign minister said.
He emphasized that the Kremlin seeks to involve Europe in the role of mediator between Ukraine and Russia.
“The idea is precisely to involve Europe as a mediator. Right now, Putin needs to buy time,” Tsahkna noted.
The minister is convinced that the EU cannot be a neutral mediator in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“The role of a mediator means taking a neutral position in order to begin seeking a compromise between Ukraine and Russia. That is absolutely not our goal,” he emphasized.
According to Tsakhkna, Europe’s main task is to increase pressure on Russia and shape the continent’s future security architecture together with Ukraine.
He also noted that Ukraine is currently one of Europe’s most powerful military forces.
The Estonian Foreign Minister stated that an optimistic mood currently prevails among NATO allies, as Russia has not achieved significant results in the war in recent months.
“We must maintain a strategic and measured pause, increase pressure on Russia, and at some point seriously bring Putin to the negotiating table,” said Tsahkna.
At the same time, he cautioned against rushing into negotiations with the Kremlin, as this could weaken the positions of Europe and Ukraine.
The diplomat also commented on rumors regarding the possible participation of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Finnish President Alexander Stubb in future negotiations with Russia. According to him, specific candidates are not the main issue at this time.
The United States may again temporarily lift some sanctions on Russian oil transported by tankers in the future.
The United Kingdom stated that the current sanctions against Russia remain unchanged and have not been lifted. This was noted by UK Minister for Trade Policy Chris Bryant, who emphasized that London continues to adhere to the current sanctions regime against Russia.
