Estonian PM Caught in Pro-Russian Scandal Could Lead EU Diplomacy

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas may take up the post of the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Reuters reports , citing sources among European diplomats.

According to the agency, informal talks between EU leaders on the possible appointment of Callas took place on Monday, June 17. Josep Borrell has held this post since 2019.

Reuters calls Kallas a harsh critic of Russia. As the agency writes, many of her colleagues respect her for this, but not all countries in the bloc share her views. For example, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has maintained friendly ties with Moscow despite the war in Ukraine.

Late last year, Kallas said she wanted to become NATO secretary general.

Last summer, journalistsdiscovered that Kallas's husband's logistics company continued to do business with Russia after the war in Ukraine began. After that, the prime minister said she had nothing to do with her husband's business and refused to resign. She laterapologized for her husband's activities, adding that he stopped cooperating with Russia a month after the full-scale invasion.

Since the start of the war, Kallas has repeatedly spoken out harshly against the Russian authorities. According to Reuters, thanks to her actions, Estonia's military aid to Ukraine has become the largest in terms of the size of the country's economy. In the fall of 2023, Kallas called on countries bordering Russia to impose a unified trade embargo.

A criminal case has been opened against the Estonian Prime Minister in Russia, but it is unknown under what article. Kallas' persecution became known in February, when the Interior Ministry put her on the wanted list. She herself stated that Moscow was trying to silence her in this way. Shortly before the Prime Minister was put on the wanted list, the head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, demanded that the actions of the Estonian authorities be investigated after the demolition of a Soviet monument in the form of a T-34 tank in Narva, near the border with Russia.

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