President Ülle Madise declined to comment directly on the US-Russia diesel deal, saying she lacks the facts, but added that anything which strengthens Russia is bad.
Madise was inaugurated on Monday. She made Latvia, Estonia's nearest neighbor, her first official foreign trip the next day. She said she was expecting a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "within hours."
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday that Russia would immediately release more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel onto American and global markets, with further shipments to follow. The US has lifted sanctions on Russian diesel exports ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
"I can honestly say that the information about this so-called diesel deal is relatively new to me. And I have learned from experience that before taking a firm position, you should get your facts straight. At the moment, I don't have those facts," Madise said at a press conference following a meeting with Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs.
"Speaking in abstract terms, it is undoubtedly clear that anything that helps the aggressor to wage war is bad. Anything that harms Ukraine, which is fighting against the aggressor, is also bad. But that is speaking in abstract terms, as I do not currently know the specific facts," Madise reiterated.
Madise also stressed the importance of allied relations and NATO's functioning. "We all need a strong NATO, we need strong defense capabilities of our own, we need the United States as our partner in NATO, and we also need our partners' military personnel in both Latvia and Estonia. This is exceptionally important."
Madise said she expected to speak by telephone with Zelenskyy later on Tuesday, or on Wednesday. "And I hope to hear from him in greater detail how he views the situation you are asking about."
Madise also spoke about the close relations between Estonia and Latvia at the joint press conference. The Estonian flag was flying at the Latvian presidential palace on Tuesday. The new president arrived in Riga barely 24 hours after taking office — a gesture Latvia sees as highly significant.
Latvian President Rinkēvičs noted that Madise had visited Latvia very frequently in the past. "She knows our country very well, as well as all the areas in which we are developing bilateral cooperation," the Latvian head of state said.
Madise also addressed artificial intelligence and its role in Estonian and Latvian societies, including in relation to their respective languages. "I believe President Rinkēvičs and I also agree that now, as artificial intelligence plays an increasingly influential role in our lives, it is important that the languages and cultures of small nations — Latvian, Estonian and others — are properly and accurately represented in AI models," Madise said.
Rail Baltica and support for Ukraine were also on the table. Neither put forward ideas for accelerating the high-speed rail project.
Madise is due to travel to Finland today, Wednesday, for her second foreign trip.
Trump said Friday Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel to US and global markets, with another 500,000 tons in November and a further 1 million tons after that — less than four days' demand for US transport. The US lifted sanctions on Russian diesel exports, though it remains unclear which tankers could be used given sanctions on many, and what condition Russian refineries are in after Ukrainian strikes. Zelenskyy said the deal would embolden Moscow's attacks. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the U.K .would be strengthening its sanctions on Russia.
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