Zelenskyy Asks Estonia To Find Tools To Influence Russia To Return Home Ukrainians Forcibly Deported To Russia

In an address to the parliament and people of Estonia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged to find tools to influence Russia to return deported Ukrainians home.

He said this in a video address to the Estonian parliament on Wednesday, April 13, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"It is now the time when you can either stop Russia, or lose the entire east of Europe for a very long time, any hope for a safe and free life on the continent, which would be regulated by a generally recognized right, and not by tough force... Estonia was one of the first to provide Ukraine with assistance, in particular defense. I am grateful to you for the support of our immigrants... I am grateful to you for the rejection of Russian energy resources... But we all need to do a lot more to stop Europe's descent into the evil that the continent saw back in the 1940s... I urge you at the level of the European Union to find such tools of influence on Russia that could stop deportation and return all deported people home. The European Union has the power to ensure this. Until Russia returns the forcibly exported Ukrainians, until it returns thousands of stolen children, it should not receive any money from European states or companies," the head of state said.

Zelenskyy once again stressed that sanctions are the only effective tool to force Russia to peace.

The President also called on Estonia, when approving the new 6th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation, to defend the need to completely block Russian banks and impose an oil embargo.

In addition, Zelenskyy invited Estonia to join the work of the group to investigate the war crimes of the Russian army in Ukraine.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Zelenskyy advocates the exchange of Verkhovna Rada Member Viktor Medvedchuk (Opposition Platform - For Life faction) detained on April 12 at Ukrainians captured by Russia.