Estonia

Estonia PM focused on defence spending and same sex marriage law

By Andrius Sytas TALLINN, (Reuters) - Kaja Kallas said she was focused on her next term as Estonian prime minister despite media speculation she could be in the running to…

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Estonia’s Kaja Kallas secures government coalition agreement

Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has reached an agreement with two other political parties to form a new coalition government. The coalition deal will be formally signed on Monday. About…

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RAF and German jets intercept Russian aircraft near Estonian airspace

The BBCreported that RAF and German fighter jets have intercepted a Russian aircraft near Estonian airspace in the first joint operation of its kind. The two Typhoons were scrambled on…

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Estonia’s Kallas in first place in parliamentary election

By Andrius Sytas TALLINN (Reuters) - The Reform party of Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas secured first place in Sunday's parliamentary election, a result that should ensure Tallinn remains one…

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Estonia goes to polls in a test for pro-Kyiv government

TALLINN, March 5 (Reuters) - Estonians go to the polls on Sunday as one of Europe's most staunchly pro-Kyiv governments faces a challenge from a far-right party seeking to capitalise…

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Estonia procured twice as much ammunition in 2022 than in previous 30 years

In 2022 and in the wake of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Estonian state acquired double the volume of ammunition as it had in the preceding 30 years,…

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United States says ready to defend Baltic allies

VILNIUS (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States was ready to defend the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania if required, and will keep its…

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Estonian intelligence service says Baltic security risk rising

VILNIUS, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The EFIS, Estonia's intelligence service said on Wednesday it believed Russia still has the strength to exert "credible military pressure" on the Baltic region and…

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Russia downgrades relations with NATO member Estonia, expels envoy

Jan 23 (Reuters) - Russia said on Monday it was downgrading diplomatic relations with NATO member Estonia, accusing Tallinn of "total Russophobia". The Russian Foreign Ministry said it had told…

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U.S. judge accepts Danske Bank guilty plea in $2 bln pact to end Estonia probe

A U.S. judge on Thursday accepted Danske Bank's guilty plea to a bank fraud conspiracy charge and agreement to pay more than $2 billion to end probes into anti-money laundering…

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Municipalities in Estonia to decide on electric scooter speed limits

The Ministry of Economy has finalized amendments to the Road Traffic Act, which, among other things, will give municipalities the right to impose speed limits on electric scooters, specify parking…

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Estonia military expert warns no cause of optimism Russia about to run out of conventional munitions

Winter in Ukraine will see mutual barrages on enemy positions and continued Russian attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure. Russia may have lost the initiative in the war, while there are no…

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Two Estonian citizens arrested in $575 million cryptocurrency fraud, money laundering scheme

Two Estonian citizens were arrested in Tallinn, Estonia, on an 18-count indictment for their alleged involvement in a $575 million cryptocurrency fraud and money laundering conspiracy, the U.S. Justice Department…

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Baltic nations would welcome Ukraine’s accession to NATO

Foreign ministers from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania said they would welcome Ukraine's accession to NATO "as soon as possible" after the country formerly applied to join the alliance on Friday.…

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Some Russian citizens in Estonia voluntarily turning in firearms

Police officials in Estonia said that some Russian citizens living in Estonia have begun voluntarily relinquishing their firearms as the country prepares for the implementation of planned changes to weapons…

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Estonian PM tells nation to prepare for blackouts if Russia switches off power grid

By Andrius Sytas VILNIUS, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told her nation that power blackouts are possible if Russia kicks the Baltic states from the joint…

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Baltic states and Poland close doors to Russian tourists

NARVA, Estonia, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Four of the five European Union countries bordering Russia began turning away Russian tourists at midnight on Monday, saying they should not travel while…

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EU states bordering Russia searching for ways to halt tourist entry

European Union member States bordering with the Russian Federation, including Estonia, are actively holding talks to find jointly ways to limit scope for Russian citizens entering the European Union through…

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While rest of EU mourns, Baltics recall Gorbachev as agent of repression

VILNIUS (Reuters) - Widely praised in the West as a towering statesman who helped end the Cold War, Mikhail Gorbachev was remembered in the Baltic states as a repressive autocrat…

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Estonia aims to stop most Russians from entering country within weeks

(Reuters) - Estonia aims to stop most Russians from entering the country within weeks, if possible acting in concert with its regional partners, Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said. "It takes…

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SUVs to be requisitioned if Estonia declares defense emergency

SUVs will be requisitioned by the state should Estonia declare martial law or if there is an emergency related to defense, Eesti Ekspress reported. The Defense Resources Agency (Kaitseressursside Amet)…

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Estonia says it repelled major cyber attack

Estonia has repelled "the most extensive cyber attacks since 2007", shortly after removing Soviet monuments in a region with an ethnic Russian majority. Russian hacker group Killnet claimed responsibility for…

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Estonian visa cancellation has ordinary Russians worried

Estonia this week will close its border to more than 50,000 Russians with previously issued visas, the first country in the European Union to do so, making it harder for…

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Bolt to curb e-scooter speeds in Estonia

Estonia unicorn Bolt says it is cutting the maximum speed of its rental e-scooters, in the interests of promoting traffic safety. The top speed will be reduced to 17 km/h,…

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Estonia to stop Russians from entering with Estonian-issued visas

Estonia said it will from next week prevent most Russians from entering the country with visas issued by Estonian authorities, cutting off a popular route into Europe's passport-free Schengen zone.…

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Estonia protests to Russia about ‘unacceptable’ violation of its airspace

Estonia summoned the Russian ambassador and formally protested about the violation of its airspace by a Russian helicopter on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said. "Estonia considers this an extremely serious…

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Estonia stops issuing visas, residence permits for Russian students

(Reuters) - Estonia announced it would no longer issue visas or residence permits for Russian citizens wanting to study in the small Baltic country, saying the invasion of Ukraine threatened…

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Estonian PM regains ruling majority, warns of tough times ahead

TALLINN (Reuters) - The new cabinet of Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas was sworn in on Monday, re-establishing political stability, but she warned of tough times ahead for the economy…

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Estonian parliament confirms PM Kallas to lead new government

The new Estonian coalition has voted to reappoint Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, in a move likely to ensure stability in the European Union state until a March 2023 election. The…

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Baltic tensions rise as Estonia protests to Russia over airspace violation

(Reuters) - Estonia summoned the Russian ambassador on Tuesday to protest an "extremely serious" violation of its airspace by a Russian helicopter, the second time in less than two weeks…

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Estonia PM set to regain majority in parliament

VILNIUS, June 11 (Reuters) - Estonian conservative opposition party Isamaa said on Saturday it would seek to join the Baltic country's government, putting Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and her liberal Reform Party…

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Sweden, Finland NATO membership would increase Baltic security – Estonia

BERLIN, May 16 (Reuters) - Sweden and Finland joining NATO would increase the security of the Baltic region, Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets said. "When we see that in our neighbourhood also other democratic…

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Estonia calls for EU sanctions on Russia oil and gas transport

TALLINN, April 21 (Reuters) - The European Union should impose trade sanctions on the transport of Russian oil and gas, Estonia's foreign minister said on Thursday. "The war against Ukraine must become…

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UPDATED: Ukraine official denies Zelenskiy rejected visit offer from Germany’s Steinmeier

April 13 (Reuters) - An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff, Serhiy Leshchenko, denied in an interview with CNN that Zelenskiy had rejected a visit offer from German President…

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UPDATED: EU sees high risk of child trafficking as 3.3 million Ukrainians flee to Europe

March 21 (Reuters) - The European Union's migration commissioner warned on Monday that Ukrainian children were in danger of being trafficked as they flee their country from the Russian invasion. Ylva Johansson…

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Baltic nations expel ten Russian diplomats

VILNIUS, March 18 (Reuters) - Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania have expelled a total of ten Russian diplomats, the foreign ministries of the three Baltic countries said on Friday. Lithuania expelled four diplomats…

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UK to host Baltic, Nordic leaders to find new ways to isolate Russia

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will host leaders from countries along Russia's northwestern flank to discuss ways they can respond to President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, including finding new…

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Estonian PM warns hard times lie ahead but ‘freedom is priceless’

European leaders have to be "honest" with their citizens about the negative effects that EU sanctions against Russia might bring upon people's daily life, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said…

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Moral duty to give Ukraine a membership perspective – Estonian PM

The European Union has a moral duty to give Ukraine a membership perspective, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told the European Parliament this morning. She said that Ukraine was not…

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Russia demands that Baltic countries protect its embassies, Canada tells citizens to leave Russia

Moscow demanded that authorities in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania take measures to protect Russia's embassies after a Russian diplomat was attacked in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, the Russian RIA news…

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In policy shift, Finland approves field guns export by Estonia to Ukraine

HELSINKI, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Finland is to allow neighbouring Estonia to export to Ukraine Soviet-origin howitzer field guns, which were previously sold to Estonia by Finland but could not legally be…

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Estonia appeals for American fighter jets to the Baltics to defend its airspace

Estonia has asked the United States to send fighter jets to the Baltic states to defend their skies, amid worries that Russia could be poised for an attack on Ukraine…

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Putin is ‘enjoying himself’ with military build-up, Estonian premier says

Estonia's prime minister said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is enjoying the international attention generated by Russia's massive military drills on Ukraine's borders and is looking for a successful war…

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Russia ‘likely’ to launch ‘limited’ military attack against Ukraine, says Estonian intelligence

Russia is continuing to move troops to the Ukrainian border and will likely launch a "limited" military attack against the country, the head of the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service said. The attack…

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U.S. deploys F-15 fighter jets to Baltics

VILNIUS (Reuters) - Six American F-15 jets landed in an Estonian airbase on Wednesday for deployment for a week and a half, as the NATO transatlantic military alliance reinforced its…

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U.S. clears Baltic states to send U.S.-made weapons to Ukraine

The U.S. State Department has cleared Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to send U.S.-made missiles and other weapons to Ukraine, three sources familiar with the decision said, as President Joe Biden…

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Baltics in talks to increase NATO troops on their soil -Estonian PM

The Baltic States are talking to NATO allies about increasing military deployments on their soil to deter Russia, Estonia's prime minister told Reuters, and NATO's chief said any Russian attack…

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Europe must make clear Russia will pay high price for Ukraine action – Estonian PM

The European Union must make it clear to Russia that there would be a high price to pay if it acted against Ukraine, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told Reuters,…

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Estonia announces snap military exercise, will put razor wire along Russian border

Nov 17 (Reuters) - The Estonian government summoned 1,700 reserve soldiers on Wednesday for an unannounced exercise which will include installing a razor wire barrier along 40 km of its…

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Seabed rock may have caused holes in Estonia ferry that sank, officials say

Rock on the seabed may have gouged previously unknown holes in the hull of the ferry Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea in 1994 with the loss of 852…

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European neighbours jointly rebuke Belarus for illegal migrant surge

WARSAW (Reuters) - The leaders of Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia came together on Saturday to condemn Belarus for allowing migrants to illegally cross its borders into the European Union. "All European Union member states have…

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Turkey says not picking a side in Ukraine-Russia conflict, Baltic foreign ministers visiting Ukraine ‘to express support’

Turkey is not picking a side in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday in an interview on broadcaster NTV. President Tayyip Erdogan…

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Estonia prolongs COVID-19 curbs by 2 weeks to April 25

Estonia extended all COVID-19 restrictions by two weeks until April 25, and said travellers arriving from Latvia, Lithuania and Finland would now need to isolate for 10 days. The government…

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Poland and Baltics want more sanctions on Russia, diplomats say

BRUSSELS, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Six European Union states including Poland and the Baltics are pushing for new EU sanctions on Russian officials after the jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei…

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Kremlin dismisses calls for sanctions over Navalny detention

The Kremlin said on Tuesday it would not heed calls by some Western countries for sanctions over Russia's detention of poisoned opposition politician Alexei Navalny because his case was a purely domestic matter. Navalny was detained on Sunday after flying back to…

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Estonian prime minister Juri Ratas to resign, spokeswoman says

VILNIUS, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Juri Ratas of European Union member Estonia announced his intention to resign early on Wednesday, his spokeswoman said, in the wake of an…

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New ‘Estonia’ ferry disaster documentary claims to have found hole in ship’s hull

An undated handout grab photo from a new documentary series about the M/S Estonia disaster in 1994 made available by DPlay on 28 September 2020 shows a hole in the…

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