In a strongly worded statement that was issued on Sunday, Estonian President, Toomas Hendrik Ilves expressed his condolences to the families of the victims saying that “the terrorist attack by the Russian-supported separatists in Mariupol on Saturday morning, where dozens of civilians were killed by a rocket attack and even more were injured, is a despicable and brutal crime.”

The President called on Russia to end its support of terrorists operating in Ukraine and to use all its influence to ensure a halt to the violence, destruction and suffering of thousands of people in Southeast Ukraine. The Estonian President condemned the violence, stating that “the democratic world stands face to face with disgraceful evil and violence: separatists are attacking Ukrainian cities with the support of a permanent member of the UN Security Council.”

“The extraordinary meeting of the European Union foreign ministers must affirm that we stand united and unwavering in our efforts to contain the aggressor and its supporters, which must also mean expansion of the visa sanction list and that we consider new economic sanctions,” President Ilves stressed.

President Ilves continued, “let us abandon our illusions – we see the goal is to destroy the territorial integrity of a European state. Every new separatist attack only confirms their unwillingness to honour the ceasefire or to find a peaceful solution to the situation, because their goal and that of their supporters, is to expand military operations and continue to create new suffering.”