Kaljulaid says Pevkur should resign as soon as possible

Raimond Kaljulaid says Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur should leave office at the earliest opportunity, arguing that a series of problems has become too much to overlook.

Kaljulaid, a Social Democratic member of Estonia’s parliamentary Defence Committee, pointed to repeated criticism from the National Audit Office, confusion surrounding procurements and advance payments, and a criminal case.

Yet his message also praised Pevkur’s record. “Hanno has been a hard-working and active minister and a strong and tireless supporter of Ukraine,” Kaljulaid wrote in a social media post.

He added that if Pevkur asked for his view today, he would “strongly advise him to seriously consider resigning from the post of defence minister as soon as possible and on his own initiative.”

“

Hanno has been a hard-working and active minister and a strong and tireless supporter of Ukraine. But if Hanno asked for my opinion today, I would strongly advise him to seriously consider resigning from the post of defence minister as soon as possible and on his own initiative.