President Alar Karis President of Estonia.  is meeting his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinistö at Kadriorg on Tuesday 4 October.

During their meeting, Presidents Karis and Niinistö discussed bilateral relations between Estonia and Finland, energy security and the broader security situation in Europe.

Karis said at the press conference that Ukraine has proven itself as a worthy ally. "We have to think about how to help rebuild Ukraine," he stated and added that he has invited Finland to cooperate.

"Finland and Estonia have decided to limit the movement of Russian citizens across our borders. I am glad that the European Union is acting with a similar approach in this matter," said Karis.

Regarding energy security, Karis said that today it is clear that there is no way back to Russia's energy carriers.

Niinistö confirmed Karis's words about good cooperation between two countries. "I would perhaps not continue with good news, but I would like to be optimistic. We all feel the danger at the moment, but we also have to feel what our ability to react to the danger is," said Niinistö.

"In recent days, Ukraine has made good progress in the military sense, and we hope that this development will continue. On the Finnish side, we have actually been preparing for decades. We have not forgotten the old wisdom. From the point of view of the National Defense, Finland is quite well prepared," said Niinistö.

Niinistö thanked the Estonian government and Riigikogu The unicameral parliament of Estonia. for the smooth approval of NATO membership.

Today, President Niinistö will be meeting also with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas Estonian politician. at Stenbock House The Governments building in Tallinn Tallinn, the largest city and capital of Estonia (population 440 000). . .

In the afternoon, the Estonian and Finnish heads of state will travel to Tapa, where they will be given a tour of the Estonian Defence Forces base and an overview of the activities of the Defence Forces by Commander Martin Herem Martin Herem is an Estonian lieutenant general and the current Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces since 2018. .