In a high-stakes diplomatic visit that underscores continued regional and global support for Ukraine amid its ongoing full-scale war with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy touched down in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, on Tuesday. Accompanied by First Lady Olena Zelenska, the trip centers on his participation in a gathering of Nordic and Baltic leaders hosted by Estonia, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the NB8 cooperation bloc. The grouping brings together five Nordic nations and three Baltic states, with this session bringing together the bloc’s national prime ministers alongside Zelenskyy to address issues tied to the war. Estonia’s Foreign Ministry formally welcomed the first lady in an official post shared to the social platform X, marking the warm official reception for the Ukrainian delegation.
This visit unfolds against a backdrop of growing cross-border friction, as Ukrainian drones have repeatedly drifted into Baltic territory in recent months. The unintended incursions stem from Kyiv’s stepped-up campaign of strikes against Russian-controlled Baltic Sea ports that Moscow relies on for oil exports, a key part of Ukraine’s strategy to raise the economic pressure on the Kremlin for its invasion. Even as Zelenskyy holds diplomatic talks in Tallinn, deadly violence continues to unfold across Ukraine: Russian forces launched a massive wave of overnight airstrikes, sending 166 long-range attack drones and two precision-guided missiles toward Ukrainian targets. Ukraine’s Air Force reports that its air defense systems successfully intercepted and destroyed 146 of the inbound drones. On the ground, the human cost of the latest assault has been steep. In Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov confirmed that three people were killed and 25 more, including three children, were wounded in Russian attacks over the preceding 24 hours. Further south, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, overnight strikes targeting multiple districts left three people injured, according to regional administration head Oleksandr Hanzha.
The exchange of fire extended across the border into Russian territory as well. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that its own air defenses downed 140 Ukrainian drones overnight. In Russia’s Belgorod region, local emergency officials confirmed one civilian woman was killed when a stray Ukrainian drone struck a residential apartment building.
Alongside Zelenskyy’s summit participation, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also joined the delegation in Tallinn for bilateral talks with his Estonian counterpart, Margus Tsahkna. The two diplomats covered three core priorities: Ukraine’s ongoing security needs, new strategies to increase international pressure on Russia, and Kyiv’s progress in its bid to join the European Union. Tsahkna reaffirmed Estonia’s unwavering commitment to Ukraine in a post on X, writing, “Estonia will continue to stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes. As Putin intensifies his attacks and shows no sign of abandoning his imperial ambitions, our responsibility is to increase pressure, not offer concessions.” This stance aligns with comments Tsahkna made in May, when he confirmed Estonia’s full support for Ukraine’s EU accession process and called for the bloc to accelerate negotiations.
Ahead of his arrival in Estonia, Zelenskyy made headlines on Monday for unexpected talks with two U.S. envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, during a refueling stopover in Chișinău, the capital of Moldova. Zelenskyy described the discussions as positive, noting the talks centered on pathways to end the ongoing war. The Ukrainian leader added that the two sides explored diplomatic opportunities ahead of the upcoming Group of Seven summit scheduled for later this month, and that he shared Ukraine’s full intelligence assessment of Russian strategic intentions with the U.S. delegation.