"At the behest of the government, Operail has ceased all its activities related to Russia, which is why half of its staff have had to be laid off and for the rest, the future is unclear. Cutting business ties with Russia is a great sacrifice, which is often borne in a very painful way, both by employers and employees," said Peterson

"From day one of the scandal, the Prime Minister's ambivalence towards businesses close to herself  has hurt hundreds or thousands of people very badly. The lamentation that a family member gave up a stake for a pittance after a year and a half of earning a living in the east is either a sign of a lack of broader perspective or a lack of solidarity."

Peterson went on to say, that he believes Kallas must resign from her role as prime minister.

He added that this is his personal position as a member of the SDE leadership "to send a signal, that the SDE feel very strongly about the absurdities that are going on."

"Kaja Kallas' statement that the coalition partners are satisfied with the explanations and the train will continue to run without changing course. Perhaps only the last part of that sentence is correct. However, the legitimacy of the government has been badly damaged and Estonia really deserves better," Peterson said.

Peterson served as Estonia's minister of health and labor in Kaja Kallas' second government from July 18, 2022 to April 17, 2023. He was previously a long-time leader of the Confederation of the Estonian Confederation of Trade Unions. In the last Riigikogu elections, Peterson ran as a candidate on the SDE's list in Pärnu County, receiving 755 votes, which was not enough to be elected.

On Monday, Estonian President Alar Karis, who met with the leaders of the different Riigikogu parties, also said he would have preferred Prime Minister Kaja Kallas to resign at the beginning of the crisis.

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