TALLINN. Sept 6 (Interfax) - Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has explained the scandal involving her husband but the public has yet to receive answers to the most important questions, Estonian President Alar Karis said.
"The prime minister has given explanations but maybe we did not get any answers," Karis said in an interview with Estonian television.
Kallas "speaks about details too much. This is not about what, where exactly and in what amounts has been supplied to Russia. What matters is the existent connection with Russia," Karis said.
The president described the prime minister's situation as "a regretful case" and said he would have thought about resigning if he were in her place. "The president is unable to remove the prime minister from office. She should make this decision herself, after which the president would decide whether to accept the resignation or not. However, the step needs to be taken by the prime minister," Karis said.
In late August, Estonian media reported that Stark Logistics, a transportation company partly owned by Kallas' husband Arvo Hallik, continued working for Russia after the operation started in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Kallas was pushing the EU for more and tougher sanctions on Russia. Hallik's company earned 1.1 million euros in 2022 and nearly 475,000 euros in 2023 as a result of its business partner Metaprint's shipments to Russia, the media said. Kallas herself provided a 350,000-euro loan for the company's development.
Kallas refused to resign despite calls from the opposition, the media, and numerous participants in opinion polls.