Tallinn criticises government over organisation of Ukraine recovery conference

Tallinn's city administration has criticised the organisation of the sixth international Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC), scheduled for 27–29 January next year. Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan (Isamaa), responsible for utilities and entrepreneurship, believes the event should have been postponed by a couple of months.

Järvan noted that such large-scale events have traditionally taken place in June or July, and he still does not understand why late January was chosen this time. He said Prime Minister Kristen Michal and Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna decided to move the conference to January for reasons that remain unclear to him.

Tight timeline and uncertainty

According to Järvan, the city currently knows neither the venue nor the speakers for the event, even though only four months remain before it takes place. All programmes must be approved by Ukraine's government, which is currently partly in the process of being formed. He warned that if the event fails due to snow-covered streets, it would damage not only Tallinn's reputation for years to come but also Estonia's international standing.

Foreign Ministry's explanation

Foreign Ministry Deputy Secretary General Mariin Ratnik confirmed that the conference dates were carefully coordinated with Ukrainian partners, taking into account other major international events such as the World Economic Forum in Davos and the Munich Security Conference, as well as the 24 February anniversary of the war's start. She explained that the conference actually consists of seven smaller conferences, each roughly the size of the Lennart Meri Conference, to be held at different venues across Tallinn.

Ratnik added that six months is enough time for the city to prepare with the necessary equipment and resources for snow clearing, comparing the situation to Davos, where snowdrifts do not prevent world leaders from attending. Based on previous experience, the conference could draw between 5,000 and 7,000 participants, and the attendance of US President Donald Trump has also been suggested as a possibility.