"India playing huge role" in ending Russia-Ukraine war, says Estonia's Foreign Minister

Estonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Margus Tsahkna, on Wednesday said that India is playing a "huge role" in efforts to bring peace to Europe amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and expressed hope that New Delhi could exert greater pressure on Moscow to help end the war.

Estonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Margus Tsahkna, on Wednesday said that India is playing a "huge role" in efforts to bring peace to Europe amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and expressed hope that New Delhi could exert greater pressure on Moscow to help end the war. Speaking to ANI on India's diplomatic role in the conflict, Tsahkna said that while Estonia wants peace in Europe, Russia has so far shown no willingness to alter its objectives in Ukraine.

However, he expresses optimism on New Delhi's role in ending the conflict, which is currently in its fifth year after Moscow's invasion in February 2022, noting that if greater pressure is put on Russia by India, that could encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin to alter his plans, paving the way for lasting peace in Europe. "We want to have peace in Europe, but also we know that Russia, unfortunately, is not ready to change its goals. India is playing a huge role, and if India is putting more pressure on Russia, then we hope that Putin will change the course and we will finally find peace in Europe," he said.

Tsahkna also highlighted the strengthening ties between Estonia and India, particularly in the fields of digital cooperation, startups, and innovation. Calling Estonia one of the most digitalised nations in the world, he described India as a "very important partner" despite the vast difference in population size between the two countries.

"Estonia is one of the most digitalised nations in the world and India for us, is a very important partner. Scales are different. Estonia has 1.3 million people; India has 1.4 billion, so a thousand times difference, but in digital operations, the scale is not important," he said. The Estonian Foreign Minister further noted that bilateral political relations between the two countries are steadily improving.

"We see that our political relations are improving. Our president was in Delhi, India, at the AI conference and also met with Prime Minister Modi and the President," he said. Tsahkna also invited Indian businesses and entrepreneurs to explore opportunities in Estonia, especially in the startup ecosystem and the country's e-residency programme.

"We have more businesses here in Estonia for investments. Estonia is one of the best environments for startup companies. Also, we have this e-residency programme that people outside of Estonia can become a part of in our environment of creating businesses; all the taxation, all the bureaucracy, and everything make it very easy to become an e-resident of Estonia. We have thousands and thousands of them already from India," he added. Earlier this month, Putin stated that the conflict with Ukraine is "coming to an end" and blamed the "globalist wing of Western elites" for provoking the war in the first place.

Speaking to the media following the Victory Day Parade in Moscow, the Russian President argued that the West used Ukraine as a tool to pursue its geopolitical ambitions, disregarding Russia's interests. "They are the ones who wage the war against us with the hands of the Ukrainians. And of course, it's very comfortable for them. They provoked this conflict," Putin said.

He cited Ukraine's EU aspirations and NATO enlargement as key triggers of the ongoing confrontation, claiming that Western leaders had repeatedly misled Russia on their intentions. Putin also referred to a 2022 agreement with Ukraine in Istanbul, which he claimed Kyiv initially accepted but later refused to sign under Western pressure, particularly from France and the UK.

"They are the ones who are waging this war against us with Ukrainian hands," the Russian President said. "President Macron called me and said that Ukraine cannot sign a historic document like this with a gun against their head," he added.

Putin further stated that "another representative of show business, then the Prime Minister of the UK, travelled to Ukraine. And what did he say? 'You cannot sign this; it's an unfair agreement.' But who is to say what's fair? If the Ukrainian delegation initialled this agreement, then how is it unfair?" The Russian president reiterated that Western support enabled Kyiv to prolong the conflict and accused the West of overstepping by providing extensive military and political backing to Ukraine.

Despite the protracted war, which is currently in its fifth year, Putin expressed cautious optimism, suggesting that Europe may eventually realign politically and that the conflict could reach a resolution. "They [Ukraine] were promised assistance, and they started to escalate this confrontation with Russia. I believe that it is coming to an end. Why did it happen? They expected to crush Russia and destroy its statehood within a few months, but they failed. And now they got stuck in this," the Russian President said.

"I hope that these political forces will step by step get back to the leadership positions, or they will seize power with the support of the vast majority of European countries," he added. Putin's remarks come amid rising tensions in Europe and continued international calls for a negotiated settlement to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which entered its fifth year in February 2026, following Moscow's full-scale invasion in 2022. (ANI)