Letter from a departing ambassador

Kallid eestlased, head Eesti sõbrad Ameerika Ühendriikides. Dear fellow Estonians, dear friends of Estonia in the United States,

Today marks the conclusion of my five years as Estonia’s Ambassador in Washington – together with it, twelve years that I have, across three postings, devoted to work for Estonia here in the United States. In the end of August, I will take up a new assignment, as Estonia’s Permanent Representative to NATO in Brussels. Before I set out on that new chapter, I wanted to share a few thoughts with you – not so much as a farewell, but as an interim account of the road we have walked together.

I grew up in occupied Estonia in the 1980s, at a time when the moral, economic and military bankruptcy of the Soviet Union was plain to see, yet the brutality of the KGB and the Red Army remained very real. Even my home village near Tallinn was designated as a border zone, where Soviet border guards had the right to stop and search anyone at will, and detain if they weren’t able to present their passport.

And yet we knew – through the heavily jammed broadcasts of the Voice of America, through Finnish television programming received on self-rigged TV-sets, and through rare glimpses of Western journals or books, that the free world had not forgotten us. Even the Soviet TV was not able to hide that president Reagan spoke to his people warmly, as a free man among free people, while Soviet leaders barked at people they kept captive. That contrast lit a trust in America in me that has never gone out.

I first visited the United States in 2000, as part of the State Department’s International Visitors’ Program, and in 2002 began my first posting at the Embassy in Washington, as an economic diplomat. A few weeks more than twenty-four years later, I am completing my third and final posting in Washington. My respect for this country and its people has only deepened over these years.

And that respect applies to you, Estonian Americans, even more. Throughout the years of occupation, it was you – you, your parents, your friends and family members here in North America and across the free world – who kept the continuity of Estonia’s independence alive. The Estonian people remain forever grateful to you for that.

This August marks 35 years since Estonia regained its independence. We can say with pride that Estonia’s story is proof that democracy works – that it does not merely free people from chains, but lifts them out of poverty into prosperity.

We have gone from Soviet ration lines to a digital state where citizens sign legally binding documents on their phones, file their taxes in three minutes, and can access nearly every public service around the clock. We have gone from a command economy where even bread was sometimes unavailable to one of the best business environments in the world – having the best tax system, producing more unicorns per capita than almost any other country, and attracting more venture capital per capita than any other country in Europe. We have gone from behind the Iron Curtain to hosting Allied soldiers and NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence, standing at the front line of the security of the entire Western Alliance.

None of this happened by itself. It happened because Estonians and friends of Estonia – in Tallinn and Washington, in Tartu, Kärdla, Narva and in the Bay Area – chose to build something together. And it happened thanks to the steady friendship and support of the United States and our other Allies – support that at times required more faith than evidence.

When I began my first posting here in 2002, most people I met even in Washington had never heard of our country and Estonia was still a recipient of USAID programs. Today we stand ready to help others in need, alongside America. Later on, in 2004, we had only just joined NATO, and our defense cooperation was in its infancy. Today our forces operate sophisticated American systems, and our military and intelligence capabilities have earned the respect of our American counterparts. It has become a mature and constructive partnership – one Estonia contributes to as much as it draws from.

These past five years, too, have left tangible marks. Estonia’s exports of services to the United States have more than doubled since 2021, reaching over one billion euros in 2024. The U.S. is now our second-largest market for services exports, after Finland. Our network of honorary consuls across the country has kept growing – new offices opened in Dallas and Houston, and more recently in Cincinnati, Hickory, New York City, Portland, San Francisco and Denver, bringing the total to eighteen, so that Estonians from coast to coast have a friendly office closer to their home. After a comprehensive and meticulous renovation project, Estonia’s embassy is now one of the most modern and beautiful in Washington. And this past November, New York City co-named a stretch of East 34th Street “Ernst Jaakson Way,” honoring my legendary predecessor who single-handedly kept Estonia’s legal continuity alive through fifty years of occupation – a fitting reminder, steps from the Estonian House in Manhattan, of what patient, principled diplomacy can accomplish.

At the same time, I cannot hide my concern. Russia’s war against Ukraine continues. The partnership among Russia, China, Iran and North Korea is deepening, and these governments make little secret of their intention to challenge, and ultimately dismantle, the international order that the United States has led and upheld for more than eighty years. This is not paranoia. It is these governments’ stated position.

Should Russia emerge from its war of aggression against Ukraine having achieved its strategic goals – goals that reach far beyond Donbas, or even Ukraine itself – that would pose an existential threat to Estonia’s future as well. We know that Russia will not become a friendly neighbor, in the manner of Finland, anytime soon. We know that the world’s problems will not resolve on their own. Therefore, Estonia continues to work both to sustain international support that helps Ukraine prevail, and to strengthen its own national defense.

Looking to the future, I remain an optimist. Because we also know that when like-minded nations work toward a shared purpose – harnessing today’s technology, whether artificial intelligence, new energy systems, or breakthroughs in the life sciences and defense – we are capable of a great deal. Estonia intends to do exactly that: to work as hard as we possibly can, to always prefer cooperation with friends, and to be a country that is prudent, yet bold, in embracing new technologies and new ideas.

Estonians have a trait I value above most others: alguses ei saa vedama, pärast ei saa pidama – we are slow to get going, but once we do, nothing can stop us. It has taken us time to build momentum over these 35 years. But once we found it, nothing has held us back. I believe that will remain true.

When I meet you across the United States, you often ask me what you can do for Estonia.

Please continue your work in your local Estonian societies, and your support to Estonian American National Council. EANC is doing great work to champion Estonia’s cause and keep “Estonianness” alive in America even in the 21^st century. Please also make sure your U.S. congressmen, congresswomen and senators know what matters to Estonia – most of you are American citizens, thus you have an American voice, use it.

Please also consider supporting projects that carry Estonia’s story into new spaces and eras. One such major project is currently taking shape at Stanford University: Stanford Libraries is developing its existing Baltic studies programming into a broader Nordic-Baltic focus, with the goal of establishing a permanent Nordic-Baltic Center at Stanford. Each year, the existing program brings five Baltic fellows to Stanford, facilitates around twenty short-term visits by academics, leaders and officials, and sends fifteen Stanford students to summer internships in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Its Baltic World history course has, in turn, opened the door to our region for the wider student body. The library is now working to build similar programming with all five Nordic countries, and is looking for supporters who would like to stand behind that effort.

Consider, too, lending your support to institutions that keep memory and courage alive – Washington’s own Victims of Communism Museum, Vabamu in Tallinn, or one of the many American organizations supporting Ukraine’s fight. These are only a few examples among many worthy causes.

And finally – come to Estonia. Come and help us solve today’s and tomorrow’s challenges together, so that Estonia remains that special country, one that dares to dream and manages to accomplish things others do not yet dare to imagine.

My twelve years, and five as Ambassador, in Washington have been the greatest honor of my life. In August, I will continue serving Estonia in Brussels, at NATO Headquarters – but America, and all of you, will always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you for walking these years alongside me. Thank you for remaining Estonian, far from home. And thank you for continuing to do so.

There is no shortage of worry these days. But chin up – together we can succeed.

Elagu Eesti! Long live Estonia!

Kristjan Prikk
Ambassador of Estonia to the United States 2021-2026

July 31, 2026