Estonian President Alar Karis Travels to Ukraine for Independence Day

Estonian President Alar Karis has arrived in Ukraine on an official visit to take part in events marking Ukraine's Independence Day and to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He is accompanied by his wife, Sirje Karis.

According to Karis, the visit underscores Estonia's support for the Ukrainian people, who are resisting Russian aggression and defending their freedom, independence and right to determine their own future. The president said independence means no one else decides your future, and that the Ukrainian people prove this every day through courageous and united resistance to Russian aggression. He added that Estonia is in Ukraine to honor the Ukrainian people's pursuit of freedom, and that Ukrainians must be able to build their future freely and without fear.

Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen

At the invitation of Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska, Sirje Karis will take part in the sixth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, dedicated to preserving stability in unstable times. In Kyiv, President Karis will join other heads of state at the summit to discuss how to more effectively and quickly strengthen the resilience of states and the world to crises, as well as the ability to recover from them.

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, of the Reform Party, has also traveled to Kyiv. Together with President Zelensky, he will lead the summit of Nordic and Baltic (NB8) leaders and Ukraine, and will take part in events marking Ukraine's State Flag Day.