Former ambassador Kaimo Kuusk to run for parliament with Parempoolsed

Former Estonian ambassador Kaimo Kuusk has joined the Parempoolsed party and will run in the 2027 parliamentary elections, ERR reported. He said he wanted his work to have a tangible impact for Estonia and to use his experience and skills to serve the country’s security and defence capabilities.

Kuusk said he could not stand by while, in his view, democracy in Estonia was being undermined. He also criticised what he described as the government’s decision to hold a conference on aid to Ukraine in late January, saying the timing was unsuitable for Ukraine but favourable for election campaigning by Estonia’s governing parties.

“We are scheduling the Ukraine reconstruction conference for the worst possible time for Ukrainians, because politicians from the Reform Party and Eesti 200 want to hitch it to their election campaign,” Kuusk said. He added that it was worrying that support for Ukraine was increasingly being treated as election propaganda, and said disagreements between state institutions had resulted. “Something is wrong when, during a war, the most important question becomes who gets to open a kindergarten in Ukraine.”

Kuusk said he joined Parempoolsed because he believes in the party’s team and plans. Party leader Lavly Perling said she valued his ability to work as part of a team and his experience supporting Ukraine on the ground and through economic diplomacy.

Kuusk was Estonia’s ambassador to Ukraine from 2019 to 2023 and ambassador to Lithuania from 2023 to 2024. He served as secretary-general of the Ministry of Defence from 2024 until this autumn. Before entering the foreign service, he worked for several decades at the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service.