"We'll try to arrive at what would be the best time for him to leave today. It is clear that we no longer have the same level of trust in the secretary," Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur told Vikerraadio Monday morning.

This means we could see Ministry of Defense Permanent Secretary Kusti Salm leave office before the end-of-summer date given in his letter of resignation.

Pevkur explained that Salm submitted his letter of resignation on May 27, or several days before the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) commander [Gen. Martin Herem] provided detail calculations regarding the armed forces' need for more ammunition. Salm's imminent departure became a matter of public record on June 12.

"As the prime minister has suggested, what has followed has been somewhat unjust. Criticism voiced in the government and its members is not justified if we look at the facts," Pevkur said.

The minister did not wish to speculate on what might have been Salm's true motivation for quitting, saying that it cannot have been the EDF's munitions shortage, looking if only at MOD development plans that the permanent secretary signed off on and where the difference in the level of funding is tenfold.

"This matter is for his conscience. /.../ We can read into his first interview where he said that he couldn't accept it that his choice for EDF commander [Gen. Veiko-Vello Palm] did not pan out," Pevkur also said.

Pevkur did not wish to give a straight answer when asked whether the whole scandal could be infighting at the Reform Party where both Pevkur and Kristen Michal have been seen as potential successors to Prime Minister Kaja Kallas after she takes a job in Brussels. The minister said that Kallas landing the high representative or some other Commission post would be recognition for Estonia.

But Pevkur did admit willingness to run for Reform Party chairman should this happen. That said, he has no plans to resign as defense minister for as long as he has the trust of the prime minister and the Riigikogu.

Talking about the matter of the EDF's need, as expressed by Salm and Herem, for an additional €1.6 billion worth of various types of ammunition, Pevkur said the money needs to be raised through a dedicated national defense tax, which is something he supports.

"If we split the sum between every working person in Estonia, it would come to €2,000-2,500 per person. Over ten years, this comes to a few dozen extra euros every month," the minister noted.

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