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.