Views, from three leading politicians, have ranged from offense to essentially a backing of the head of state.

The head of state said in an interview given to Lääne Elu last week and which was published on Thursday that while Estonia's foreign policy is highly focused on the present day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs lacks the capacity and the strength to have broader horizons both in terms of time frame and of scope.

The president put this mainly down to a lack of personnel, skills, and in some cases, knowledge. The remarks follow a rift between Kadriorg and Islandi väljak which emerged late on in 2025 over comments the head of state made in relation to foreign policy, principally given to the foreign media or while abroad, and mainly regarding Ukraine, Russia and also Hungary.

Chairman of the Riigikogu Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson (Reform) wrote on his social media account later on Thursday that he fails to understand why the president felt the apparent need to "insult" Estonian diplomats in the Lääne Elu interview.

"I unequivocally stand here in defense of our diplomats, who for more than three decades have worked tirelessly and selflessly day in, day out, to Estonia's benefit, for our international success, and for the protection of our security," Mihkelson wrote.

It is precisely thanks to the same diplomats that Estonia is a member of both the EU and NATO, and thanks to them, Estonia has more friends and partners around the world than it otherwise could have, he continued. He denied that Estonia's foreign policy was guilty of short-termism.

"As for Estonia's capacity to see beyond today, that is the very foundation of successful foreign and security policy. We are reaffirming this once again in the security policy principles currently being updated," Mihkelson said.

Raimond Kaljulaid (SDE), who sits on the Riigikogu Defense Committee, was more conciliatory in his post, finding both Mihkelson and Karis to be right in their own respective ways. Kaljulaid wrote that he interpreted the president's remarks differently from Mihkelson.

"This was not a dismissal of the entire Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Estonia's previous achievements in foreign and security policy," Kaljulaid wrote.

Kaljulaid continued that the ministry's strategic direction and foreign policy as a whole is the responsibility of the foreign minister and their non-politico counterpart, the secretary general: Respectively Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) and Jonatan Vseviov.

In any case, Kaljulaid noted he does not know anyone who is truly satisfied with the current situation.

In Kaljulaid's assessment, following the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine in early 2022, Estonia managed to make its voice on the global stage heard despite all the noise. This was in no small part thanks to former prime minister and now High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, Kaljulaid found.

However, internally, there has been some drift since then, he added.

"Since then, we have been somewhat out of sync with what is happening in the world," Kaljulaid wrote.

"One could certainly take umbrage at the president's words, but they can also be seen as some very serious feedback from someone who, in their line of work, truly needs effective and well-functioning cooperation and support from the ministry, yet for some reason feels they are not receiving it," Kaljulaid continued.

Isamaa chair: That president has had to smooth out issues demonstrates their existence

Urmas Reinsalu, who served as Estonia's foreign minister from 2019 to 2021 and is now Isamaa's leader, also posted on social media, coming down more in support of the president. He stated that, considering how the president had been attacked before, the statement had been discreet.

"I know that the president has a trusting and professional relationship with diplomats, and having spoken with several diplomats today, I clearly sensed that they too understood the president's remarks as pointing to a problem related to the government's foreign policy decision-makers," Reinsalu wrote.

Estonia no longer has wiggle room in its foreign policy for any mistakes, erratic behavior, or hijacking foreign policy to make it an extension of domestic politics, the Isamaa chair argued. Indeed, Karis' felt need to comment is a demonstration that this is still happening, Reinsalu added. "The president's remark that he has had to smooth out such erratic policy is a sign of accumulated problems."

Background:

Last November, the president visited Kazakhstan, where Estonia's ambassador Jaap Ora had advised him not to publicly support Ukraine; Ora soon resigned, though the recall had still not been signed by the head of state as of a month ago.

Karis then faced criticism from Tsahkna and Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform), over alleged deviations from Estonia's foreign policy line in remarks about Ukraine, and in suggesting EU participation in U.S.-Ukraine-Russia peace talks.

Tsahkna also criticized Karis' statements that Ukraine might need to decide on any territorial concessions to Russia, including of lands which Russia has occupied since 2022 and since 2014. He also faced pushback over calls for support to Hungary in exiting its energy deal with Russia.

With the presidential election process starting at the end of summer, Karis is eligible for a second term but has not confirmed his intentions, and the election requires a two-thirds majority in the 101-seat Riigikogu.

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