The Office of the President of the Republic of Estonia announced President Rüütel's passing on Tuesday, New Year's Eve, and the head of state, President Alar Karis, joined by First Lady Sirje Karis and the presidential office, extended his deep condolences to President Rüütel's family and friends.

He will be buried with full state honors, the president's office said.

Arnold Rüütel was the second president of Estonia following the restoration of independence in 1991.

He played a pivotal role in that journey to independence, notably contributing to the preparation and adoption of the Estonian Sovereignty Declaration on November 16, 1988, which asserted Estonia's self-governance.

In March 1990, he was elected chairman of the Supreme Soviet, the occupied nation's highest authority, where he spearheaded the adoption of a historic resolution declaring Soviet authority in Estonia illegal and initiating a transition to restore the Republic of Estonia.

His leadership during this critical period, serving as chair until October 1992, was instrumental in the route to the foundation of the modern-day sovereign nation-state of Estonia.

As President of Estonia from 2001 to 2006, Rüütel's leadership was marked by his strong support for EU accession, culminating in a successful referendum on that matter and securing Estonia's place in the EU.

Estonia also joined NATO during his term in office.

Arnold Rüütel was born on May 10, 1928, on the island of Saaremaa, during the First Republic of Estonia.

His surname, he noted, derived from his distant ancestors, the coastal knights of Saaremaa (Rüütel literally translates as "Knight"), who in the 16th century defended the island from foreign invaders.

Both his parents' ancestors bore the name; Saaremaa was among the first places in the country where surnames were assigned.

Rüütel fondly remembered his own childhood during the pre-war independent Republic of Estonia, describing it as a happy time.

In particular, he recounted an encounter with then-President Konstantin Päts.

During a visit to Saaremaa in the late 1930s, Rüütel and other schoolchildren greeted Päts with flowers picked from their gardens at home, scattering them along the president's path as his car stopped en route to an official reception.

After starting his career as a senior agronomist from 1949, and later in the 1950s teaching agricultural mechanization, Rüütel rose through various roles in Soviet Estonia, among other posts becoming director of the Tartu model state farm (1963–1969).

He rose to be rector of the Estonian Agricultural Academy, the forerunner of today's University of Life Sciences, in Tartu, from 1969, where he improved infrastructure and led innovative agricultural research.

He eventually held high-ranking positions within the Estonian SSR, including that of chair of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, which he held from 1983 to 1990.

Building on his pivotal role in the 1988 sovereignty declaration, Arnold Rüütel's leadership as chairman of the Supreme Soviet in the early 1990s was crucial in declaring Soviet authority illegal and guiding Estonia's transition to fully restored independence.

In 1991, Arnold Rüütel first represented Estonia as its head of state, prior to the position of president being re-established, at the UN General Assembly.

The following year, he gave a presentation at a UN conference on the environment, in Rio de Janeiro.

In 1992, he also first ran as president, narrowly losing to Lennart Meri, while in 1995, he was elected to the Riigikogu with a record-breaking 17,189 votes.

He then became deputy Riigikogu speaker.

After Meri's two terms, Rüütel was elected President of Estonia in 2001, assuming office in October that year.

The most significant foreign policy achievements of Rüütel's presidency include, as noted, its accession to the EU.

Rüütel expressed his personal support for accession, and contributed to a positive referendum outcome during his time in office.

He said of this: "We must undoubtedly move towards Europe. [...] The EU is without a doubt our future, and in this regard, both the parliamentary parties and the government are in agreement. [...] In a globalizing world, Estonia has no alternative for securing its future outside the EU."

He narrowly missed out on a second term in 2006, when Toomas Hendrik Ilves was elected president.

Arnold Rüütel remained active in public life post-presidency and resided in Kadriorg until the last months of his life.

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