Russian Foreign Ministry has decided to expel the Estonian ambassador to Moscow, and he must leave Russia at the beginning of February, according to an article by the Estonian media ERR News.
Russian Foreign Ministry has announced that Estonia has deliberately damaged relations with Russia in recent years, and indicated that the last straw was the expulsion of 13 diplomats and eight technical workers from the country. In response, Russia has decided that diplomatic relations on both sides will be reduced to d’affaires ad interim, as Russia will also recall its ambassador.
Russia has indicated that all responsibility for the development of such events should be borne by the Estonian side.
Estonian Ambassador Margus Laidre and five other employees are currently working at the Estonian Embassy in Moscow. Laidre has been serving as a diplomatic mission in Moscow since 2018, while Russian ambassador Vladimir Lipayev started his work in Estonia last February, shortly before the Russian invasion in Ukraine.
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu is currently attending a meeting of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Commission in Brussels, and told ERR News that he will call on the EU to maintain parity in diplomatic relations with Russia and will continue to support Ukraine. Also, Estonia will encourage other countries to increase aid to Ukraine.
On the 19th of January, the Estonian government decided to make an aid shipment to Ukraine worth 113 million, which will include anti-tank weapons and ammunition.
Read also: Estonia: recalling the Russian ambassador would be a clear signal