BEIJING - Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna called on China to stop its economic support of Russia's war in Ukraine and urged Beijing to join European and U.S. efforts to pressure President Vladimir Putin into a ceasefire during a Tuesday interview.

Tsahkna met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and other officials during a two-day visit to Beijing, the first by an Estonian foreign minister in a decade, in which Russian aggression against Europe and trade were high on the agenda.

"China says that they are not part of this military conflict but I was very clear that China has huge leverage over Russia, every week more and more, because the Russian economy is weak," Tsahkna told Reuters.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would "work together" with China's President Xi Jinping to end the war in Ukraine after meeting in South Korea last week, adding that Xi is "going to help us". But he did not pressure Beijing to reduce purchases of Russian oil.

"President Trump said as well that this pressure (on Russia) is very important, that China should join. And I think that China can do a lot if it joined the pressure on Russia to finish the war," said Tsahkna.

CONTROL OF DUAL-USE ITEMS

Last month, the European Union launched another sanctions package and Washington imposed sanctions on two of Russia's largest oil firms to pressure Moscow towards an immediate ceasefire of the 44-month war.

Tsahkna also raised the issue of China supplying dual-use critical components to fuel Russian war efforts with his counterpart, he said. China denies the accusations and says it strictly controls exports of dual-use items.

China's perceived support for Russia has been the main issue dogging EU-China relations since Moscow's 2022 invasion. Visiting European leaders have repeatedly raised the issue but little has changed in Beijing's position.

Estonia, like its Baltic neighbours Latvia and Lithuania, was forcibly annexed by Moscow during World War Two, regaining its independence only in 1991 as the Soviet Union f...