"I regret that I am forced to engage in a public discussion over a closed-door meeting I had with the Estonia-U.S.A. Parliamentary Friendship Group. I thank (Reform Party MP) Hannah Lahe for being honest.  Other accounts of that discussion have been misleading and, quite frankly, disrespectful to the hundreds of U.S. troops currently serving in Estonia," said Pipko.

"I visited them yesterday (Thursday – ed.) at Camp Reedo. I invite anyone who questions the importance the United States places on our partnership with Estonia to go speak with these brave Americans standing guard next to the border with Russia, far from their homes and loved ones," he added.

"These young men and women come to Estonia to defend our shared values," the U.S. ambassador pointed out.

"Our alliance is built on more than a century of unbroken diplomatic relations and a deep commitment to freedom and democracy – values I am proud to represent as U.S. Ambassador in Estonia. These shared values have guided both our nations through times of challenge and triumph, and they remain the foundation of our cooperation today." Pipko continued.

"I do not intend with these remarks to make any comment on Estonian domestic politics.  The U.S.–Estonian relationship is and must remain above the fray."

On Wednesday, EKRE Chair Martin Helme said that during a meeting with U.S. lawmakers and U.S. Ambassador Roman Pipko, it became clear the U.S. views Estonia's valuable natural resources — not military cooperation — as the key area for collaboration.

However, Reform MP Hanah Lahe, who also attended the meeting, said Helme's claim was misleading and that she remembers things differently. According to Lahe, natural resources were mentioned only briefly, and the ambassador said he considered military cooperation with Estonia to be highly significant.

"The ambassador considered it highly significant, and stressed further that Estonia serves as a model for many other EU countries in the field of defense procurement. Members of the Riigikogu thanked the ambassador for the U.S. contribution to strengthening Estonia's defense capabilities."

The U.S. Embassy in Estonia also described the discussion with members of parliament following the meeting at the Riigikogu as excellent. "We're working to strengthen cooperation on defense, energy, technology, and trade—building a future as strong as our past," the embassy wrote in a social media post.

Earlier this week, Lahe's part colleague, Prime Minister Kristen Michal, said Estonia is an ally of the United States, but that does not mean the Reform Party-led government would be following U.S. President Donald Trump's MAGA ideology.

"We will definitely not be adopting this MAGA ideology which reaches us primarily through Isamaa, through EKRE and through the Center Party," Michal said.

SDE MP Raimond Kaljulaid, who is also a member of the Riigikogu's National Defense Committee, described Michal's statement as "not simply a mistake, but a big mistake,"

"Only recently, the U.S. Congress supported providing security assistance to Estonia. This is a very unfortunate moment to build an internal political value conflict along the axis of U.S.-Estonia relations," Kaljulaid said.

Estonian Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform Party) will be on an official visit to the U.S. from Monday through to Friday next week.

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