Andrii Sybiha: Estonia provides 10 powerful generators and EUR 400,000 to support Ukraine’s energy sector

On 6 February, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha held bilateral talks in Kyiv with his Estonian counterpart Margus Tsahkna.

The Estonian minister began his visit to Ukraine the previous day in Zhytomyr region, where he opened two facilities rebuilt with Estonian support: a residential building for internally displaced persons in Ovruch and a modern bomb shelter at the Soniachnyi Dim social and psychological rehabilitation centre.

Andrii Sybiha sincerely thanked Estonia for its patronage of the reconstruction of Zhytomyr region and for the tangible results that Ukrainians can really feel.

The Minister described the Estonian colleague’s visit as “a timely visit of solidarity and courage amid russia’s winter terror”. He briefed the Estonian Foreign Minister on the difficult situation in Ukraine’s energy sector caused by russian strikes.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister expressed deep gratitude for the handover during the visit of 10 powerful generators, as well as for Estonia’s contribution of EUR 2 million to Ukraine’s energy support in December and EUR 400,000 in January, collected by Estonian non-governmental organisations.

Andrii Sybiha also announced plans to open new honorary consulates of Ukraine in the Estonian cities of Tartu and Narva in 2026.

The heads of Ukrainian and Estonian diplomacy discussed peace efforts, the outcomes of meetings in Abu Dhabi, and next steps. Both sides agreed that success in diplomacy requires increased pressure on the aggressor.

A separate topic of the talks was defence cooperation. Andrii Sybiha highlighted Estonia’s leadership role in the IT Coalition. The parties discussed further development of cooperation in cybersecurity and defence technologies.

“We also greatly value the firm position of the Nordic-Baltic Eight – our closest allies. This year Estonia is coordinating this group of countries. We count on further strengthening of interaction with Ukraine, enhanced political coordination and practical support in countering russian aggression,” noted the Ukrainian Foreign Minister.

The parties also discussed ways to maximise the impact of the 20th EU sanctions package. According to Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine expects the new sanctions package to be painful for the russian economy, which is already entering a phase of deep recession. He also supported Estonia’s initiative to ban entry to Europe for participants in russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister separately thanked Estonia for joining the Steering Committee of the Special Tribunal, “which once again demonstrates true leadership on the track of accountability and increased pressure on the aggressor”.