Michal took part via remote video link in several European leaders' coordination meetings Tuesday, following Monday's summit in Washington which involved several European leaders joining Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump.

"Impressions from the Washington meeting are positive. It is important that Europe showed a united stance alongside Ukraine," adding "pressure on the aggressor must continue, no matter what Putin says."

My message at today's #EUCO.

We must keep maximum support to @ZelenskyyUa and maximum pressure on Putin. The EU has the power to do more.

This means military aid, adopting the strongest possible next sanctions package and moving quickly ahead with Ukraine's EU membership.

— Kristen Michal (@KristenMichalPM) August 19, 2025

Michal stressed to the meeting's participants, dubbed the "Coalition of the Willing," that all nations involved must now put forward their contributions to Ukraine's security guarantees, adding that hammering out the details of this "with the participation of Europe and the United States" is the most important task to follow.

Michal also took part in an informal European Council video meeting where he similarly called on European colleagues to support Ukraine and pressure Russia in those areas where Europe can have the greatest effect, which he listed as "swift progress on the 19th sanctions package and Ukraine's EU accession path," while also noting "a ceasefire is crucial" for Ukraine's peace negotiations.

Michal to BBC: Ukraine security guarantee 'would probably mean boots on the ground'

The prime minister also spoke to the BBC's Newsnight current affairs show as the European leaders were arriving in Washington.

On being asked what security guarantees to Ukraine might look like, Michal said: "That would probably mean boots on the ground and also different routine exercises to have this kind of capability up and running. That probably would be the closest thing – not NATO, but article 5-like security guarantees."

"Russia can be stopped only by strength and unity... we are prepared, not scared."

Estonian PM and reserve officer Kristen Michal tells @bbcpaddy that he has "no illusions" about whether he would fight Russian troops on the countries' shared border, if needed.#Newsnight pic.twitter.com/cPyFwrNyeZ

— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) August 19, 2025

Positioning NATO troops in Ukraine even away from the current front line could result in service people from Estonia, Britain and elsewhere dying if Russia ramped up its aggression again. On this the prime minister, a EDF reserve officer, said he hopes "that in the future nobody dies in Ukraine, but defending one's sovereignty is of the utmost importance, because to be honest coming also from Estonian history and knowing Russia, Russia can be stopped only by strength and unity, and it requires the UK. France, everybody in Europe, all over the world … and also Estonia."

While much of the media focus on Monday's Washington meeting contrasted it with the much frostier reception Zelenskyy received at the White House in February, some European leaders insisted a ceasefire in Ukraine must precede any further meetings or negotiation. Trump has downplayed need for a ceasefire ahead of peace talks, though he did hint at U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine. Zelenskyy meanwhile announced a US$90bn U.S.-Ukraine arms deal which would include the U.S. buying Ukrainian drones. While Putin and Trump spoke again over the phone following last Friday's face-to-face summit in Alaska, it is not clear if and when any Putin-Zelenskyy meeting will go ahead.

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