Estonia
Three additional communication cables between Finland and Estonia were found to be damaged, in addition to the previously damaged Estlink 2. The Finnish company Fingrid is considering the possibility of sabotage, and police are checking the surrounding ships.
Leaders of three frontline NATO countries have called on the alliance to increase defense spending. The countries are concerned about a possible decline in U.S. involvement in European security after the elections.
On Christmas Day, the Estlink 2 line between Finland and Estonia was interrupted. The Finnish authorities are investigating the cause of the outage, not ruling out the possibility of vandalism.
The EstLink 2 power cable connecting Estonia and Finland has been disconnected in an emergency. Operators in both countries are working to determine the cause of the failure, and power supply is being provided by backup facilities.
The President of Ukraine had a phone conversation with the British Prime Minister to discuss support for arms production and membership in the JEF. The parties also discussed the preparation of an agreement on long-term partnership between the two countries.
At a meeting of EU leaders, a conflict arose between Scholz and Duda over the confiscation of 260 billion euros of frozen Russian assets. Germany opposes it because of the risks to financial markets, while Poland supports the idea.
The German chancellor has reiterated his intention to continue dialog with the russian president. The Estonian prime minister believes that only military support for Ukraine will force russia to start negotiations.
The Czech Senate has recognized the mass deportation of Crimean Tatars as an act of genocide. The decision was supported by 70 senators out of 76 present, joining other countries that had previously made a similar recognition.
The British and Estonian prime ministers met in Tallinn before the Joint Expeditionary Force summit. The parties discussed strengthening military and economic support for Ukraine, as well as expanding defense cooperation.
On the Estonian border, Russia organizes weekly provocations, including the appearance of a blimp with a Z sign and smuggling attempts. Over the year, the number of border incidents increased from 18 to 96.
The UK provides 35m pounds to restore the energy system and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Sanctions were also imposed against 20 ships and two Russian companies involved in shady oil transportation.
The UK and 11 European countries have agreed to take joint action against Russian ships trying to circumvent sanctions. The participating countries will check the documents of suspicious ships in key sea straits.
The Lithuanian Foreign Minister called on the EU to approve a joint strategy to counter Russia's hybrid actions. Lithuania, together with 6 EU member states, has prepared a proposal to be considered at a meeting of the Council of Ministers.
The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine is working on mechanisms to recover frozen Russian assets. Ukraine plans to use not only the interest but also the entire body of assets to support the state.
Lithuania and Estonia imposed sanctions on 17 Georgian politicians and officials, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. The reason was the suppression of protests and human rights violations in Georgia.
Estonia imposed sanctions against 14 Georgian officials, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. The Estonian Foreign Minister called on other EU countries to also respond to human rights violations in Georgia.
The German Federal Archive has handed over a hard disk with digitized Ukrainian films from the early twentieth century to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. The materials will be transferred to the Dovzhenko Center for preservation and research.
The European Commission will provide funding to Estonia, Norway, Finland, Poland and Latvia to protect their borders from drones. The decision was announced by Ursula von der Leyen after a conversation with the Finnish Prime Minister.
The Kobzar-Lirnytsia tradition and the art of Easter egg making have been officially recognized by UNESCO as a cultural heritage of humanity. These are the first Ukrainian practices to be included in the organization's registers in 2023.
Defense Minister Umerov announced the strengthening of long-range weapons production in Ukraine from 2025. Estonia will continue to support Ukraine, allocating 0.25% of its GDP annually for military assistance.
Poland is developing a program for the development of the armed forces for 2025-2039, taking into account the experience of the war in Ukraine. The document will include seven priorities, including increasing the army, developing air defense and introducing artificial intelligence.
The prime ministers of Ukraine and Estonia signed a joint statement on increasing rehabilitation pressure on the Russian Federation. The countries are calling for a full trade embargo and sanctions against Russian oil and gas companies.
Ukraine will receive a power unit from an Estonian power plant, which will provide electricity to 150 thousand people. In 2025, it is planned to transfer two more power units.
Estonia provided Ukraine with defense support for 542 million euros, which is 1. 4% of the country's GDP. Over the next three years, Estonia will allocate 0.25% of its GDP annually to support Ukraine.
Krysten Michal arrived in Kiev to meet with the Ukrainian leadership and confirmed his support for the victory. At the same time, Friedrich Merz arrived in the capital a week after Scholz's visit.
Frankenburg Technologies will start testing its own anti-aircraft missiles in Ukraine in 2024. The missiles use IS for guidance and can shoot down targets at an altitude of up to 2 km.
Ukrainian kobzarism is officially recognized as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage of humanity.
At the 19th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee, the Ukrainian Easter egg was included in the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The application was submitted jointly with Estonia and approved in the capital of Paraguay.
NATO Secretary General Rutte said that the ministerial meeting will focus on ensuring a strong position of Ukraine for possible peace talks. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry rejects any alternatives to full membership in NATO.
MEPs have called on the European Commission to impose sanctions against the leadership of the Georgian Dream because of the authoritarian seizure of power. The Baltic states have already agreed to impose national sanctions against the suppression of protests in Georgia.