Social Democratic Party MP blasts finance minister's sarcastic US administration post

Raimond Kaljulaid says Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi should resign over a post mocking the U.S. administration; Foreign Minister Tsahkna also voiced criticism.
Minister of Finance Jürgen Ligi (Reform) published a Facebook post last Wednesday in which he sarcastically commented on the U.S. administration's efforts to broker a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.
Ligi wrote:
A draft of the leaked Ukraine–Russia peace agreement:
Russia will be reintegrated into the international economy.
Sanctions against it will be lifted and its claim to USSR territories will be recognized.
Russia will give the U.S. a security guarantee.
The U.S. must pay for the security guarantee.
The U.S. must leave NATO and pay for doing so.
The U.S. must amend its Constitution and hold presidential elections within 100 days.
It must pay for that as well.
The U.S. must cut its armed forces in half — and pay.
U.S. territories where Spanish-speaking populations have settled will be annexed to the Latin American countries from which they came.
For that, it does not have to pay.
As part of the special military operation, a commission will be formed to assess damages caused to Russia, chaired by Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
This is free of charge.
Nothing else is clear yet, but compared to the old document, the updated one contains very few clauses — and lots of good things.

"Back in 2019, when EKRE was in government and its ministers mocked people like Joe Biden, it caused a nationwide scandal and everyone understood that this wasn't in Estonia's interests. But now, the Reform Party's Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi crudely mocks the sitting president of the United States and his policies and no one even bats an eye. It just shows that we have a kind of state nobility in Estonia and no one dares touch them," said Raimond Kaljulaid on Vikerraadio's "Välistund" program.
"What I find most baffling is this: no matter what we might feel privately or if we dislike some of the things our American friends do, the reality today is that Estonia's partnership with the United States is of the utmost importance. For example, next week [Riigikogu Foreign Affairs Committee chair] Marko Mihkelson (Reform) and I will be in the United States. We're certainly not going there to mock Americans, insult them or act like we're somehow smarter and have a better grasp of global affairs," Kaljulaid added.
"I truly don't understand why we allow this kind of behavior. If this were my government, that minister would no longer be in office. It's very simple: if you want to mouth off on the internet day after day, do it as a private citizen or as a member of the Riigikogu if you must. But as finance minister, a member of the cabinet, a key minister and a representative of the prime minister's party, you simply can't do that," Kaljulaid said.
Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) added that regardless of whether one likes a U.S. president or not, it's up to the American people to choose their leaders. He also emphasized that the United States is an existential partner for Estonia.
"It's the same for all of Europe today. 'Old Europe' is like an old, lazy, fat cat that's lived comfortably for 30 years without investing in its own defense capabilities. I've said it everywhere: without the pressure from President Trump, Europe wouldn't have started doing so even now," said Tsahkna.
"We have U.S. troops stationed in the Baltic states and Poland. We're also working to secure congressional funding for the Baltic Defense Initiative. Every visit matters. I try to travel to Washington almost as often as I go to Brussels. Visits by Riigikogu members and ties with Congress and the Senate are critically important. Just a couple of weeks ago, during my U.S. visit, I had the opportunity to testify before the Helsinki Commission, which is very important for communicating our positions. So mocking the United States — especially by a member of the government, but even more broadly — is something the Estonian people have absolutely no reason to do," Tsahkna said.
Tsahkna had not read Ligi's specific post but said he had received no feedback from American counterparts.
"But in general, yes, as foreign minister I'll say this: Estonia has one foreign policy and everyone must follow it. It aligns with the mandate given to us by the Riigikogu. And overall, people should really think things through. It's easy to vent a bit of irritation. Let's be honest — it's hard to stand by and watch; it's easy to criticize. But members of the government have a different level of responsibility and I think Jürgen Ligi understands that," Tsahkna said.
On Wednesday, EKRE chair Martin Helme asked Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) during Riigikogu Question Time whether he would like to apologize to President Trump for Ligi's post.
"As concerns Jürgen Ligi's remarks, he is the best man to comment on them," Michal replied.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski, Aleksander Krjukov










