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Estonian president arrives in Kyiv

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Estonian president arrives in Kyiv
Estonian President Alar Karis (L) is welcomed by Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhen Perebyinis (C) in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 12, 2024. (President Alar Karis/X)

Estonian President Alar Karis arrived in Kyiv on Sept. 12, marking another high-level visit to Ukraine this week.

"Arrived in the great city of Kyiv. Looking forward to all the meetings & discussions," Karis said on social media.

"We stand with the Ukrainian people in their struggle for freedom and independence."

Karis arrived only a day after 60 participants gathered for the fourth summit of the Crimean Platform, an international consultation and coordination format aimed at ensuring the liberation of the peninsula from Russian occupation.

Notable guests included Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, and Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina. The same day, Ukraine was also visited by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy to discuss assistance for Ukraine and Kyiv's use of long-range arms against Russia.

The Estonian president delivered a video address at the Crimean Platform, saying: "Struggling with state terrorism is the most burning issue of our era. Already a century ago, the Soviet authorities, which currently is glorified by the Kremlin, began to deliberately eliminate the Crimean Tatars."

"Crimea is not just a peninsula with beautiful nature and a good climate but a home to millions of Ukrainian citizens who do not want to be occupied and live under Moscow’s rule where people are humiliated and treated as state’s slaves," Estonia's head of state said.

Estonia has been among Kyiv's staunchest supporters since the start of the full-scale invasion began, offering humanitarian, developmental, and military assistance.

Ukraine war latest: Blinken, Lammy visit Ukraine as Kyiv awaits decision on long-range strikes
Key developments on Sept. 11: * Blinken, Lammy visit Ukraine as Kyiv awaits decision on long-range strikes * Russia claims counterattack against Ukraine in Kursk Oblast * Trump refuses to answer if he believes Ukraine’s victory is in US interests * Russia claims drone attacks on Murmansk Oblast…
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Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

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