US diplomat George P. Kent has been nominated new ambassador to Estonia, ending years of speculation on who would take up the currently vacant post, and when. Kent has diplomatic experience in Ukraine, and is a former deputy chief of mission to Kyiv. His nomination is subject to approval by the Senate.
In the ongoing absence of a new ambassador, U.S. Embassy Charge d'Affaires Brian Roraff remains the ranking U.S. diplomat currently serving in Estonia. Tallinn is not his first assignment in the region, however, and as he said in a longer recent interview with ERR News, he knew the focus of the U.S.-Estonian relationship would be security and NATO cooperation.
The United States Embassy to Estonia is planning to build a significantly larger building for its offices than initially planned. Although the process of developing the new embassy between the streets of Väike-Ameerika and Suur-Ameerika is still in its early stages, both locals and Americans hope for cooperation.
While there has been no United States Ambassador to Estonia in-country since summer 2018, plans are going ahead for the embassy's relocation to a site several times larger than its current home. The plans are at proposal stage, having been sent by the foreign ministry to Tallinn City Government last week.