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Estonia and Ukraine established diplomatic relations on 4 January 1992. [1] Relations between the two countries have remained consistently close, largely in part due to shared concerns of any aspirations of the Russian Federation. Estonia is a member of the European Union, which Ukraine applied for in 2022. Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe.
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Estonia and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic recognized each other with an agreement signed on November 25, 1921.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the two countries re-recognized each other on August 26, 1991. Bilateral diplomatic relations between the two countries were re-established on January 4, 1992. An agreement on cooperation between Ukraine and Estonia was signed on May 26, 1992. [1] [2]
After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine started, Estonia, as one of the EU countries, imposed sanctions on Russia, and Russia added all EU countries to the list of "unfriendly nations". [4] Estonia joined other countries in spring 2022 in declaring a number of Russian diplomats Persona non grata. Estonia also introduced a ban on Russian language media channels. [5]
In September 2022, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia decided to close entry for Russian citizens with Schengen visas, including those issued by third countries. [6]
On 18 October 2022, the Estonian parliament voted in favour of officially recognizing Russia as a terrorist state. The Riigikogu also called on the international community to adopt a similar position. [7] [8]
On 6 December 2022, Vadim Konoshchenok, a suspected FSB officer was arrested at the border with high tech electronic items and ammunition sourced in the US, additional goods were found in a warehouse Konoshchenok was renting. The USA sought his extradition, [9] which was granted and actioned in July 2023. [10]
In January 2023, Estonian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mihkel Tamm announced Estonia's intention to seize $21.4 million in Russian assets in Estonia and deliver it to Ukraine. Estonia is working with European Commission on plans to seize Russian assets frozen in the European Union which are estimated to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars. [11]
Estonia announced the expulsion of 21 Russian diplomats and technical staff in January 2023 and encouraged other European Union countries to follow suit. [12] In response, Russia responded by downgrading its relations with Estonia and expelling the Estonian ambassador Margus Laidre; Estonia responded in kind. [13]
Prime Minister Kaja Kallas called Russia a "threat to the whole of Europe". [14] Riigikogu, the parliament of Estonia, also passed two statements on the mobilization of Russia's pre-invasion forces and the start of the attack against Ukraine in 2022, in which it expressed support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine and condemned the war started by the Russian Federation. [15] [16]
Estonia voted in favor of United Nations General Assembly Resolution ES-11/1. The resolution deplored Russia's invasion of Ukraine and demanded a full withdrawal of Russian forces and a reversal of its decision to recognise the self-declared People's Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. [17]
As of May 2023, 130,000 Ukrainians entered Estonia as a result of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with 71,000 currently living in Estonia. [1] around 200-300 Ukrainians apply for asylum in Estonia per week. [18]
Estonia has sent the most aid to Ukraine per capita, around 0.8% of Estonia's GDP in 2 months, [19] and 1.5% of its GDP as of 14 December 2023. [20]
On 11 January 2024, Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Tallinn, Estonia, after he began a tour of the Baltic States. [21] Zelenskyy met with Estonian political leaders and addressed the Estonian parliament with a speech expressing gratitude for the Estonian government's and people's support and aid for Ukraine. [22] [23] After Zelenskyy's visit, the President of Estonia, Alar Karis pledged to allocate 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) worth of aid for Ukraine until 2027. [24]
Ukraine has formal relations with many nations and in recent decades has been establishing diplomatic relations with an expanding circle of nations. The foreign relations of Ukraine are guided by a number of key priorities outlined in the foreign policy of Ukraine.
South African-Ukrainian relations refers to the current and historical relations between South Africa and Ukraine. South Africa established an embassy in Kyiv in October 1992 while Ukraine established an embassy in Pretoria in 1995.
Japanese-Ukrainian relations are formal diplomatic relations between Japan and Ukraine. Japan extended diplomatic recognition to the Ukrainian state on December 28, 1991, immediately after the breakup of the Soviet Union and full diplomatic relations were established on January 26, 1992.
Moldova–Ukraine relations are the bilateral/diplomatic/foreign relations between the sovereign states of Moldova and Ukraine. The Moldova–Ukraine border is 985 kilometers. Ukrainians are the third largest ethnic group in Moldova, behind Moldovans and Romanians. Both countries were former republics of the Soviet Union and are also the poorest countries in Europe. Both countries have applied for membership to join the European Union in 2022.
The Estonian United Left Party is a political party in Estonia undergoing reformation.
Estonia–Poland relations are the bilateral relations between Estonia and Poland. Both nations are members of the European Union, NATO, OECD, OSCE, Bucharest Nine, Three Seas Initiative, United Nations, Council of Europe, Council of the Baltic Sea States, HELCOM and World Trade Organization. The two countries became members of the European Union in 2004.
Lithuania–Ukraine relations are foreign relations between Lithuania and Ukraine. Both countries are members of the Lublin Triangle, OSCE, Council of Europe, World Trade Organization and United Nations. Lithuania supports Ukraine's European Union and NATO membership. Lithuania has an embassy in Kyiv and Ukraine has an embassy in Vilnius.
Israel–Ukraine relations are foreign relations between Israel and Ukraine. Both countries recognized each other on 11 May 1949 as the Ukrainian SSR and established de jure diplomatic relations on 26 December 1991 when Ukraine became independent. Israel has an embassy in Kyiv. Ukraine has an embassy in Tel Aviv and a consulate-general in Haifa. There are 30,000 Ukrainians settled in Israel, while Ukraine has one of Europe's largest Jewish communities. Ukraine was also the first state outside of Israel to have had both a Jewish president and prime minister simultaneously.
The bilateral relations of the Philippines and Ukraine began with a formal agreement in 1992. Neither country has a resident ambassador. Ukraine has a non-resident ambassador in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Philippines is represented by its embassy in Warsaw, Poland.
Ukraine–Vietnam relations are the bilateral relations between Ukraine and Vietnam. Vietnam recognized Ukraine's independence from the Soviet Union on 27 December 1991. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on 23 January 1992. The embassy of Vietnam in Ukraine started its operations in 1993, and the embassy of Ukraine in Vietnam was opened in 1997.
Kaja Kallas is an Estonian politician and diplomat. She was the first female prime minister of Estonia, a role she held from 2021 to 2024, when she resigned in advance of her appointment as foreign policy chief of the European Union. The leader of the Estonian Reform Party since 2018, she was a member of parliament (Riigikogu) in 2011–2014, and 2019–2021. Kallas was a member of the European Parliament in 2014–2018, representing the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. Before her election to Riigikogu, she was a lawyer specialising in European competition law.
Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has been serving as the sixth president of Ukraine since 2019, including during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine ongoing since 2022.
The Islamic Republic of Iran and Ukraine established formal diplomatic relations on 22 January 1992. Iran recognized Ukraine as an independent sovereign state on 25 December 1991, four months after the Ukrainian SSR issued the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine amidst the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Iran has an embassy in Ukraine's Kyiv, and Ukraine has an embassy in Iran's Tehran. The two countries enjoyed a generally cordial relationship with each other until January 2020, when Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, killing all of the 176 civilians onboard.
According to Ukrainian government officials and news sources, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has survived a number of assassination and kidnapping attempts by Russian or pro-Russian agents during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
U-24 is an intergovernmental peacekeeping organization proposed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy aimed at quickly ending armed conflicts between countries. It was first voiced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his speech to the U.S. Congress on 16 March 2022.
Events in the year 2022 in Latvia.
During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made a number of speeches in multiple formats, including on social media and to foreign legislatures. The speeches have received significant attention, with a number of commentators citing a positive effect on Ukrainian morale and on international support for Ukrainian resistance to the invasion.
Events in the year 2023 in Estonia.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said Russia's invasion of Ukraine represented a 'threat to the whole of Europe,' the Estonian government said in a statement on Thursday.