Estonia last week joined the chorus of Western countries sending arms to Ukraine on their own
Russia said today it was downgrading diplomatic relations with NATO member Estonia, accusing it of “absolute Russophobia” and Tallinn responded by telling Moscow’s ambassador to the Baltic country to leave.
Estonia and its Baltic neighbors Latvia and Lithuania are among a group of NATO allies arguing strongly for Germany to deliver Leopard tanks to Ukraine to bolster its fight against Russian invasion.
Russia’s foreign ministry said it had told the Estonian ambassador to leave next month, and that the two countries would be represented in each other’s capital by a chargé d’affaires instead of an ambassador.
Estonia responded by telling the Russian ambassador to leave the country by February 7, Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said.
“We will continue to support Ukraine as Russia plans large-scale attacks, and we call on other like-minded countries to increase their aid to Ukraine,” Reinsalu said in a statement.
Estonia last week joined the chorus of Western countries sending arms to Ukraine on their own.
Moscow said today’s move was in response to Estonia’s decision to reduce the size of the Russian embassy staff in Tallinn.
“In recent years, the Estonian leadership has deliberately destroyed the entire range of relations with Russia. The absolute Russophobia, the cultivation of hostility towards our country has been reduced by Tallinn to state policy,” he said.
Commenting on the deterioration of relations, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: “The Estonian regime got what it deserved.”
Estonia told Russia on January 11 to reduce the number of diplomats in its embassy in Tallinn to eight, the same as the number of Estonian diplomats in Moscow.
Last April, Lithuania expelled Russia’s ambassador to the country and downgraded its diplomatic representation to chargé d’affaires after Ukraine accused Russian forces of killing civilians in the town of Butsa.
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
