"In light of the media coverage that has emerged, I understand that my business activities, shareholding and work in Stark Logistics, a company that has been carrying out transport services from Estonia to Russia for our client AS Metaprint, have raised questions that, regardless of the answers, will affect my wife's work," Hallik wrote. (AS Metaprint is a majority stakeholder in Stark Logistics – ed.)

The PM's spouse wrote that he will sell his shares back to Stark Logistics, resign from the company's board of directors, terminate his CFO contract and "relinquish all roles and responsibilities and hand them over to other employees."

Hallik assures in the letter that he has always acted within the law and in accordance with best practice and personal values during his 13 years with the firm.

"We discussed the issue of transport for our client on several occasions, and we believed that we were doing the right thing, helping the right people and saving a good Estonian company, otherwise we could not have done it," Hallik wrote.

"I understand that for many people in Estonia this does not seem so – and vice versa – it does not seem moral, in the light of Russia's war of aggression."

Hallik apologized for the situation and the damage it has caused his wife, the prime minister.

"I assure everyone that my wife was not aware of my business activities. We have discussed all this in the light of the media reports this week and her assessment has been clear – there are no circumstances whatsoever to justify these shipments. But stopping the shipments is no longer enough for me. I cannot take responsibility for my client and my business partner any more than any company could know everything about its client. In these circumstances, it is better for me to withdraw from Stark Logistics and from the company altogether," the businessman wrote.

Hallik added that he considers it necessary to clarify the issue of the "so-called loan," writing that the PM previously declared in her declaration of economic interests that she has lent €350,000 to Hallik's company. "My company used this and the remaining capital to make various financial investments – but the substance of these investments has never been the subject of any discussion between us. During the summer the loan was repaid."

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