FM: Countries using weapons in Middle East that could help Ukraine

Estonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said weapons that could help Ukraine are now being used in the Middle East and that Kyiv's allies need to help keep focus on the full-scale invasion.
Ministers from around the Baltic Sea met in Warsaw on Wednesday and agreed that Ukraine must remain a priority for the sake of Europe's security.
The world's attention has moved to the Middle East after the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, which they said killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran then launched retaliatory strikes at Israel and U.S. bases across the region in Israel, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.
The U.S. is now using costly weapons systems to take down cheap Iranian drones, the media has reported.
Speaking to Poland's public broadcaster TVP World, Tshakna said attention has now shifted from Ukraine to the Middle East. He highlighted that Ukraine and Russia are still in the middle of talks mediated by the U.S. to try to find a solution to end the conflict.
However, Kyiv's allies need to keep focused on Ukraine, the minister said.

"We need to be sure that nothing has been pressured on Ukraine to accept any kind of deals that are actually bad, not only for Ukraine but also for us in Europe," he said.
Another concern is making sure Ukraine gets the weapons it needs.
"The second is, of course, very practical military support. Now, all the different countries, but probably [the] U.S. as well, are wasting or using this military equipment in the Middle East. But we need to support Ukraine," Tshakna told the show.
The minister highlighted the U.S.' PURL initiative, which sees European countries buy U.S. weapons for Ukraine. "We must be sure that it will be continued because Ukraine needs some capabilities, like 24/7," he said.
Tshakna also highlighted public attention: "There is still ongoing aggression from Russia to Ukraine; it's not finished. It's not like a war movie that has finished and you choose another one."
Mob boss no more?
Speaking about the situation in Iran, the minister said Estonia is "not crying" because the regime's leadership has gone, but he also pointed out it has not yet fallen and is still "very dangerous."
But one "good point" is that Russian President Vladimir Putin is now in a "weaker" position globally and can no longer protect his "dictator friends." Tsahkna said.
"The good point is that the mob chief Putin is losing more and more so-called good friends that Russia has been promising to protect," he said, listing the leaders of Syria, Venezuela and Iran who are no longer in office.
The minister highlighted that Russia has not had a major military breakthrough in Ukraine for four years. He said more pressure needs to be put on the Russian economy with sanctions because it is faltering.
The full interview can be watched below in English.
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Editor: Helen Wright










