13:26 14 June 2024
Kaja Kallas in Trouble: Insufficient Military Funding
Kaja Kallas, the Prime Minister of Estonia, has found herself at the center of controversy following the resignation of a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Defense. The secretary protested against the Estonian government's inaction regarding the defense budget, which Kallas claims she learned about from the press.
After disappointing results in the European elections, where her party finished third, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has once again become the target of opposition attacks. They are demanding her resignation over a defense scandal that has shaken the political scene in Tallinn in recent days.
Permanent Secretary of the Estonian Ministry of Defense, Kusti Salm, resigned on Wednesday (June 12), citing the government's lack of response to the need to spend at least an additional €1.6 billion on ammunition to overcome a "critical" shortage.
Salm stated on Wednesday that both he and the outgoing Chief of the Defense Forces, Gen. Martin Herem, had repeatedly proposed increasing Estonia's ammunition reserves to the government, but to no avail.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas from the Reform Party responded during a government press conference on Thursday, stating that neither she nor the entire government deserve such accusations.
