The president's remarks follow tensions which developed from late 2025 between him and the government, and the foreign ministry in particular, mainly concerning messages over Ukraine and the Russian invasion.

"It has been said that we need a foreign policy expert as president. In reality, in some sense, this is a foolish claim. Today, especially in connection with the war in Ukraine, the primary burden lies with the prime minister and the foreign minister — that is where foreign policy decisions are made," the head of state told regional daily Lääne Elu, while on a visit to Haapsalu last week.

"The president can choose whether to move forward from here, or to go along just as passionately with what gets thought up somewhere in the quiet of offices. The president does not have power; decisions and actions get made elsewhere. So you instead look ahead in time," Karis went on.

"One day, the war will end, but then the question will be whether we still have friends here, there, or elsewhere. In foreign policy, we have been focusing very much on the present day, which is understandably needed, but we must also have the strength to look a bit further and more broadly. That strength is not really present at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — there are no people, skills, and at times even knowledge," the president told the newspaper. The head of state added that he can shape his role and keep the peace mainly by taking on the chin unfair comments made about him, since no one has ever checked up on his foreign policy knowledge in the first place.

"Sometimes you just have to swallow things that you see which are unfair. There are already enough agitators in the public arena. And what is worst of all is to go into the so-called external space — meaning foreign lands — to dispute decisions made in foreign policy," Karis added.

This has even led to the head of state feeling he had to apologize on behalf of Estonia for some of its foreign policy decisions.

"I have also had to apologize to heads of state for our decisions, but I will not publicly say where, and why that was," Karis added.

Last November, the president paid a state visit to Kazakhstan. Estonia's ambassador at the time, Jaap Ora, had reportedly advised the president to refrain from publicly expressing messages of support for Ukraine, while the head of state was in the central Asian republic. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs just days later announced that Ora had tendered his resignation, though as of exactly a month ago, the president had not signed the order to recall Ora.

Karis was then at the end of some sharp criticism from both Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) and Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform Party), who charged him with deviating from Estonia's official foreign policy with statements made on Ukraine to foreign media in early February, that an EU representative should also take part in any peace talks between the U.S., Ukraine and Russia. Tsahkna also hit out at Karis' statement that Ukraine must at some point decide for itself on any possible relinquishing of any of its territory to Russia.

The foreign minister was also critical of Karis' remark that Hungary should be backed in its desire to withdraw from its energy agreement with Russia, and helped with any penalties arising from the contract.

The presidential election process starts at the end of summer, and Karis is eligible to run for a second consecutive term. He has not publicly and unequivocally stated his intentions either way. A two-thirds majority is needed at the 101-seat Riigikogu for a president to be elected.

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