U.S. ambassador to Estonia resigns

The U.S. ambassador to Estonia will retire at the end of July following a series of inflammatory comments President Donald Trump made about the European Union.

Jim Melville has served as ambassador since 2015.


“Earlier today, the United States’ Ambassador to Estonia, Jim Melville, announced his intent to retire from the Foreign Service effective July 29 after 33 years of public service,” a State Department spokesperson confirmed.

Foreign Policy reports that the early retirement is related to Trump’s controversial comments about U.S. allies in Europe.

Melville wrote in a private Facebook post obtained by Foreign Policy that he decided it was time for him to leave after Trump’s comments on how the EU was “set up to take advantage of the United States, to attack our piggy bank“ and that “NATO is as bad as NAFTA.”

Melville is the third ambassador in the past year to retire early.

