EU, US must maintain common understanding: Estonia PM

The European Union (EU) and the new U.S. administration must maintain a common understanding when dealing with external risks, Estonia’s Prime Minister Jüri Ratas said Friday.

“What I know and understand is that they keep the sanctions against Russia. If we are talking about Crimea, it is very important that we have here this common understanding between EU and the United States,” Jüri Ratas also said.

U.S. President Donald Trump had previously criticised Barack Obama’s administration for sanctions imposed on Russia for its illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula.

Trump stated that he would be in favor of lifting the sanctions against Moscow if he is able to negotiate a nuclear arms reduction agreement.

Ratas dismissed any suggestion that the EU was concerned about a perceived improvement in diplomatic relations between the new U.S. administration and Russia.

“We must be strong ourselves; we must have good relations between the European Union and United States. Today we know that British Prime Minister Theresa May has been in Washington, we know that a lot of leaders had phone calls with Trump, and I think these are very, very good marks and very good signs,” he concluded.

EU leaders met for a summit in Valletta, Malta, to debate the future of the union on Friday.

Source: Reuters