President Kersti Kaljulaid today opened an Ukraine-themed open-air photo exhibition on Weizenbergi street in Kadriorg, next to the ice cellar. The exhibition focuses on her visits to Ukraine before the war of 2022.
&#8220;Estonian-Ukrainian ties have been very close for many years. That is why I also often spoke to my Ukrainian colleagues and visited Ukraine regularly &#8211; the last time only a week before the start of the great war. Many of the areas visited are now in ruins, occupied or under fire. However, there are many memories left from these visits and, yes, pictures, &#8221; president Kaljulaid described the story of the exhibition.

President Kaljulaid opens Ukraine-themed photo exhibition

The President Kaljulaid Foundation has transferred the first 100 000 euros to Ukrainian free media, fundraised by donations in the past weeks.
&#8220;Thank you to all donors! There&#8217;s a saying that the first casualty of war is truth. This generosity demonstrates understanding regarding how important the free press is towards the functioning of a democratic country and for getting a true picture of the situation both inside the country as well as abroad. The journalists of Ukraine are doing the most difficult jobs of their lives in unimaginably difficult circumstances,&#8221; president Kersti Kaljulaid said.
After the war began, the Kersti Kaljulaid Foundation has been in contact with many large media houses of Ukraine to figure out the most essential ways to support them. &#8220;It&#8217;s very clear &#8211; nothing works without money, including journalism in the middle of a warzone. Their incomes have collapsed as you can&#8217;t exactly sell ads in the circumstances. On the other hand, they have new large expenditures for relocation, logistics, communications and so on,&#8221; she explained.
In the first round, the Kersti Kaljulaid Foundation supported the media houses of Ukrainskaya Pravda and Novoe Vremya, both among the most widely distributed in Ukraine.
&#8220;The war hasn&#8217;t stopped. Therefore we will continue to support the independent media of Ukraine,&#8221; said President Kaljulaid. &#8220;There&#8217;s a shortage of many things in Ukraine, but there&#8217;s also a shortage of money &#8211; money to buy fuel, food, accommodation, means of communication. The international community owes much to the independent media of Ukraine. Today we prove that we care that their jobs can continue.&#8221;
The President Kaljulaid Foundation still implores everyone to support Ukrainian media channels.
To do that,
<ul>
<li>make a transfer to the account of President Kaljulaid Foundation MTÜ: EE667700771006842520 (SWIFT: LHVBEE22)</li>
<li>enter “For Ukrainian independent media” in the transfer details box.</li>
</ul>
Everything thus collected will be transferred to independent media outlets of Ukraine.

The President Kaljulaid Foundation transfers 100 000 euros to Ukrainian free media

It’s both the most important and most difficult time of their lives for Ukrainian journalists. Their working conditions are dismal &#8211; they worry about the safety of their families, loved ones and themselves, and must at the same time contend with questions such as where to live, how to buy gas for their vehicles, or what to buy food with.
The international community, not to mention the citizens of Ukraine, are indebted to the journalists of Ukraine. It’s directly up to the free and independent publications and journalists how factual info spreads during a fast-moving conflict and how the entire world reacts to the horrors of war dealt upon the people of Ukraine by Putin.
In the past week, the incomes of Ukranian publications have all but collapsed. And yet their expenses and uncertainty about the future have risen to unimaginable levels. They need to relocate, they need to create working conditions in extremely difficult circumstances. They need communications, food and living quarters. And their families need basic necessities.
If we are able to help the journalists of Ukraine to do their jobs, it’s our duty to do so. The best evaluators of what they are in need of are the free and independent journalists of Ukraine themselves. Therefore, the President Kaljulaid Foundation implores everyone to support Ukrainian media channels.
To do that,
<ol>
<li>make a transfer to the account of President Kaljulaid Foundation MTÜ: EE667700771006842520 (SWIFT: LHVBEE22)</li>
<li>enter “For Ukrainian independent media” in the transfer details box.</li>
</ol>
Everything thus collected will be transferred to independent media outlets of Ukraine.

Help support Ukrainian independent media!

Today – on the day of Unity of Ukraine – former president of Estonia H.E Kersti KALJULAID paid a sudden visit to the City of Dnipro in the Eastern Ukraine to join the Board meeting of Yalta European Strategy.
During the pressconference president Kaljulaid made a statement which can be found here:
What would be better palce to spend the day of unity of Ukraine today than here with you in this museum in Dnipro? The Eastern-Ukraine Anti-Terrorist Operation museum I have visited already before and I really wish didn’t have to exist at all. But we do. And this is a strong signal. This is a strong signal and evidence, that while the whole world is talking about the beginning of the war, trying to estimate the potential of the beginning of the war, the war has been ongoing. It’s the 8th year of war for Ukrainian people. And that is why we stand here today in the City of Dnipro in Eastern Ukraine to remind the World. 
We still hope that Russia will de-escalate the tensions, there is still space to do it. But we have to remember that it is only Russia who can and has to do. No ohter country has escalated it. 
We are ready to insist and we will always insist for the right of Ukraine to choose their partners and allies freely. Estonians have always stood for open doors policy of NATO and we continue to be on that position. 
I hope that this situation finds a peaceful solution based on international law. In this Ukraine stands for all of us – peaceloving democratic nations, law-abiding nations – and therefore we all stand for Ukraine. One for all, all for one and there can not be any ohter way of thinking. 
We sincerely hope from Estonia that this year, next year, the years after will be peaceful because otherwise there will be far more sad faimilies not only in Ukraine but also in Russia. There will be more tragedy. And the basement of our internatoinal security arrangement will be sincerely shaken if not broken. 
That is why we are here today. 
Слава Україні!
Kersti Kaljulaid 
President of Estonia 2016-2021 
Global Advocate of the United Nations Secretary-General for Every Woman Every Child
President Kaljulaid President Kaljulaid joined supervisory board of Yalta European Strategy (YES) in last november. YES was established in 2004 and initially convened in Yalta on the Crimean peninsula. In recent years, the forum – which has transformed into the platform’s annual submit – has taken place in Kyiv. It is one of the biggest political conferences in Eastern Europe, involving a range of debates throughout the year in addition to the main event.

President Kaljulaid in Eastern Ukraine: today Ukraine stands for all of us!

The Estonian Public Relations Association (EPRA) awarded this year’s title of PR Manager of the Year to President Kersti Kaljulaid, who has helped maintain focus on values important to Estonian society with great clarity and vigour both during her term of office and afterwards thanks to her active communication activities.
“The toolbox that comes with the office of the President of Estonia consists almost exclusively of communication solutions because the power of words is their only lever of power. President Kaljulaid used this power in Estonia and in the wider world in a distinctively value-based, effective and selfless manner, leaving a deeply positive mark on both our daily lives and the current and future expectations of the President of the Republic in our society,” President of EPRA Margus Mets explains the decision. President Kaljulaid’s activities in both domestic and international media as the protector and keeper of the image of Estonia, even when the words and actions of some other state leaders offended the sense of justice of the majority of society, are also worth acknowledging.
President Kaljulaid thanked the association for the acknowledgement. “When I took office, I promised that I would not remain silent when our security is in question, when our freedoms are at stake or when those weaker than us are treated unjustly, and this is the creed I followed during those five years. However, back when I worded this principle, I did not expect the topic of freedoms to become so central during my term in office – I guess that shows that many of the freedoms that were once carefully and presciently written into the constitution have not actually been thoroughly discussed, understood, worded and, where necessary, disputed in our society. This work will keep both me and the sitting heads of state busy in the future,” said President Kaljulaid when accepting the award.
<blockquote>When I took office, I promised that I would not remain silent when our security is in question, when our freedoms are at stake or when those weaker than us are treated unjustly</blockquote>
According to Mets, the president’s choice of when to speak up and on what topics and when to remain silent is a message in itself. “Likewise, the president’s choice of words, tone and performance also have value as a separate message. This is what constitutes the main task of every leader and manager, including PR managers – to find the right moment and the right words and to lead or explain the content and background of a decision in a way that enables the audience to take time to delve into details and increases their willingness to understand. Our professional association believes that Kersti Kaljulaid has been very good at this, which is why we want to thank her and highlight her as an example,” Mets notes. “President Kaljulaid has been a statesman in the truest and broadest meaning of the word, sending necessary messages even when everyone around her understood that these would not boost her personal popularity or bring any conjunctural political benefits in the short term. I would like to see more of this kind of selflessness in the speeches of our state leaders and less of the cynical-pragmatic political technological approach that prevails.
Last year, the EPRA annual award was given to Estonian medical professionals because in addition to doing their main jobs, doctors, nurses and carers played a crucial role in the coronavirus crisis, providing objective information to the society, quelling fears and providing science-based explanations of the reality that surrounds us both in the media and individually to each of their patients and charges. The award was accepted by Dr Arkadi Popov, who became the spokesman for the sector during the pandemic. 
The Estonian Public Relations Association awards the annual PR award to a person or organisation whose communicative activities have had the greatest impact in Estonia. Candidates submitted for the award may but do not have to work in the field of public relations, but their activities and public appearances must widely resonate in Estonian society.

Kaljulaid recieving EPRA award from Margus Mets

President Kersti Kaljulaid wins Estonian Public Relations Association’s Annual award

President Kersti Kaljulaid visited Saudi Arabia in the last week of October, during which she met with the heads of government of the kingdom, assisted in creating opportunities for Estonian companies to make new bilateral business contacts and took to the stage as one the keynote speakers at the prestigious Future Investment Initiative forum.
“There has been a marked rise in interest among Estonian companies in the countries on the Persian Gulf, and a number of sectors see a great deal of potential there,” explained Taavi Linnamäe from the office of President Kaljulaid. “A lot of projects are already underway, but the cultural differences between our countries mean that business diplomacy is also very important. In fact it is often what is needed in order for actual cooperation to be achieved.”
<blockquote>There has been a marked rise in interest among Estonian companies in the countries on the Persian Gulf.</blockquote>
During her time in the country, President Kaljulaid met with the heads of the Saudi government, the ambassador of the European Union to Saudi Arabia and the founders of Neom (the ‘city of the future’) and visited the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. The meetings were primarily designed to foster business diplomacy, create new opportunities for Estonian companies in Saudi Arabia and promote business contacts between the two countries. Coinciding with President Kaljulaid’s visit to the kingdom, Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology Andres Sutt was in the Saudi capital Riyadh with a business delegation of Estonian companies.
President Kaljulaid was also one of the keynote speakers at the Future Investment Initiative forum being held in the Saudi capital, her address focussing on the ways in which technology is transforming our societies. The former head of state also contributed to a discussion on the changing economy and the work of the future.
Estonia and Saudi Arabia entered into diplomatic relations in 2003. Estonia’s first ambassador to the kingdom, Jaan Reinhold, presented his credentials in Riyadh in March this year.

President Kaljulaid esineb Future Investment Initiative foorumil Saudi Araabias

President Kaljulaid makes first visit to Saudi Arabia

This week saw President Kersti Kaljulaid take her place on the supervisory board of the Yalta European Strategy (YES), Ukraine’s most important foreign-policy platform. Her aim in joining the board is to keep democratic nations and the public focussed on developments in the country.
<blockquote>Democratic and prosperous Ukraine that is corruption-free, follows the rule of law and has an honest business environment is in the interests of Europe.</blockquote>
“How things are progressing in Ukraine has always been important to me,” President Kaljulaid said. “The war that is being fought in the country is not just Ukraine’s war, but a matter for Europe and the democratic world as a whole. We must stand together in the name of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and never accept changes to European borders enacted through military force. We must keep this matter in the public eye; we must not allow it to be forgotten. Ukraine is at war and needs Europe’s support, the same way that a democratic and prosperous Ukraine that is corruption-free, follows the rule of law and has an honest business environment is in the interests of Europe. I championed this during my time as president and I consider it no less important today.”
President Kaljulaid officially joined YES on 1 November and will serve on its supervisory board for the next three years. The board is chaired by former President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski. Its other members are former Prime Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference Wolfgang Ischinger, former Secretary General of NATO and Prime Minister of Denmark Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Vice President of the Havas Group Stephane Fouks and EastOne Group founder Victor Pinchuk.
YES was established in 2004 and initially convened in Yalta on the Crimean peninsula. In recent years, the forum – which has transformed into the platform’s annual submit – has taken place in Kyiv. It is one of the biggest political conferences in Eastern Europe, involving a range of debates throughout the year in addition to the main event.

Kersti Kaljulaid pidamas kõnet YES foorumil Kiievis

President Kaljulaid opens Ukraine-themed photo exhibition

The President Kaljulaid Foundation transfers 100 000 euros to Ukrainian free media

Help support Ukrainian independent media!

President Kaljulaid in Eastern Ukraine: today Ukraine stands for all of us!

President Kersti Kaljulaid wins Estonian Public Relations Association’s Annual award

President Kaljulaid makes first visit to Saudi Arabia

President Kaljulaid appointed board member of leading Ukrainian foreign-policy forum

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