Tsahkna says Ukraine featured prominently at Trump Jr dinner

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Ukraine was discussed extensively during a dinner he attended with Donald Trump Jr. in Tallinn, ERR reported. Tsahkna said the meeting focused on security and economic policy, and that the casino business was not discussed.

Trump Jr. was in Tallinn while US peace negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were in Moscow and Kyiv. Asked about the purpose of Trump Jr.’s visit, Tsahkna said he attended the 13-person dinner at the invitation of the US side.

“It was very interesting to meet not an active politician, but a person with a great deal of influence, to see his attitude towards us and to have the opportunity to discuss our views on security and economic policy,” Tsahkna said.

He said such contacts with unusual figures close to the US president’s administration could prove useful in the future.

Asked whether he had sought support for Ukraine and received a positive response, Tsahkna said: “The Ukraine issue was very actively on the table.” He declined to provide details about the discussion.

Tsahkna said he had also spoken by phone with Ukraine’s foreign minister, who briefed him on the talks in Moscow. According to the minister’s assessment, there had been no major breakthrough between Ukraine and Russia or in the wider peace process.

Tsahkna said questions about the purpose of Trump Jr.’s visit should be directed to the people who organised it. He said his own discussions concerned security and economic policy.

He also rejected suggestions that two separate events had been confused. Tsahkna said one was the 13-person dinner he attended and the other was a different event described by Delfi, which reported that it was organised by casino company Studioworks and held at the European Union House.

Asked whether Trump Jr. had come to Estonia to conduct casino business, Tsahkna said that question should be put to Trump Jr. and the people who organised his visit.