Estonia FM urges China to join US, European pressure on Putin

By Laurie Chen

BEIJING (Reuters) -Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna called on China to stop its economic support of Russia's war in Ukraine and urged Beijing to join European and U.S. efforts to pressure President Vladimir Putin into a ceasefire during a Tuesday interview.

Tsahkna met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and other officials during a two-day visit to Beijing, the first by an Estonian foreign minister in a decade, in which Russian aggression against Europe and trade were high on the agenda.

"China says that they are not part of this military conflict but I was very clear that China has huge leverage over Russia, every week more and more, because the Russian economy is weak," Tsahkna told Reuters.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would "work together" with China's President Xi Jinping to end the war in Ukraine after meeting in South Korea last week, adding that Xi is "going to help us". But he did not pressure Beijing to reduce purchases of Russian oil.

"President Trump said as well that this pressure (on Russia) is very important, that China should join. And I think that China can do a lot if it joined the pressure on Russia to finish the war," said Tsahkna.

CONTROL OF DUAL-USE ITEMS

Last month, the European Union launched another sanctions package and Washington imposed sanctions on two of Russia's largest oil firms to pressure Moscow towards an immediate ceasefire of the 44-month war.

Tsahkna also raised the issue of China supplying dual-use critical components to fuel Russian war efforts with his counterpart, he said. China denies the accusations and says it strictly controls exports of dual-use items.

China's perceived support for Russia has been the main issue dogging EU-China relations since Moscow's 2022 invasion. Visiting European leaders have repeatedly raised the issue but little has changed in Beijing's position.

Estonia, like its Baltic neighbours Latvia and Lithuania, was forcibly annexed by Moscow during World War Two, regaining its independence only in 1991 as the Soviet Union fell apart. Today, Estonia regards Moscow as the main threat to its security.

Russia's drone incursions and airspace violations of European NATO countries have increased since September, when Russian drones entered Polish airspace and three Russian military jets violated Estonia's airspace for 12 minutes.

"It's not a spillover of the Ukraine crisis. It is well-planned, well-organised tests of NATO unity," Tsahkna said.

TRADE ISSUES

Both sides also discussed a "very important" EU-China free trade agreement different to the landmark 2020 investment pact that has been frozen since 2021, but Tsahkna added China's support for Russia may slow down its completion.

He expressed hope that recent talks between Beijing and Brussels on China's expanded rare earth export controls could result in progress on obtaining general licenses for European firms amid a global supply crunch.

Beijing controls more than 90% of the world's supply of rare earth materials essential for high-tech manufacturing, including electric vehicles, semiconductors and missiles.

"I think that we should have these negotiations and also this is China's responsibility to not misuse this leverage," Tsahkna said.

Estonia has one of the few rare earth magnet production facilities outside China, with an EU-funded factory that opened in September.

(Reporting by Laurie ChenEditing by Ros Russell)