Pipko is Estonian-born and has been nominated to the position by incoming President Donald Trump, due to take office later this month.

According to the Estonian Commercial Register, Pipko was born in Estonia in 1960, emigrating to the U.S. with his mother in 1981.

As such, he has been held up by the incoming U.S. administration as an example of how the "American Dream" functions for people.

On and off from the Restoration of Estonian Independence in 1991 to the mid-2010s, Pipko took part as a legal advisor for U.S. investors in two key would-be business projects in his country of origin – negotiations on renovating a cement plant in Kunda, and a potential refurbishment of the Linnahall in Tallinn.

In the event, neither project materialized.

In the case of the Kunda cement plant, the state instead chose partners from Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, leading to the creation of Kunda Nordic Cement, ahead of the interested U.S. firm.

Veteran Reform Party MP Valdo Randpere studied law at the same time as Pipko, at the University of Tartu.

Randpere recalled him as a smart student, reading law despite not being conversant in Estonian at that time – Pipko's family background is Russian.

He said: "What was special about him was that he entered university without knowing a single word of Estonian. He was still given the opportunity to take exams and assessments in Estonian. And managed to do it."

Randpere noted that Pipko did not complete his degree.

"If he had continued his studies, I am absolutely certain he would have graduated with honors. He was very, very smart."

He left because his family was of Jewish origin," Randpere added.

"Jews were sometimes permitted to emigrate," the MP went on, referring to the strict right-to-leave laws in place during the Soviet occupation of Estonia.

Raivo Vare, former minister of state, also praised Pipko for his skills during legal negotiations, stating: "Insofar as I could tell – I was still quite well-versed in the law at the time – he was a strong and talented lawyer."

"At some point, I also came to realize that he did indeed understand Estonian; I think that was one of the reasons he was included in the negotiations," Vare added.

Despite the failed Kunda and Linnahall ventures, then-deputy mayor of Tallinn Taavi Aas reflected positively on Pipko's professional conduct, saying he left "a very pleasant impression."

"At our meetings, he represented the other party, as a lawyer, and I think he did so very professionally," Aas went on.

As for Pipko's Estonian skills, Aas said: "He himself conceded that he had been away for so long, that he no longer could speak the language, but I do believe he understood Estonian to some extent, even though he did not verbalize it."

"I don't remember any tensions between us. That's just how business negotiations are. Unfortunately, we couldn't reach an agreement this time," Aas added with regard to the 2015 Linnahall talks.

According to Vare, Pipko's background provides him an advantage over previous ambassadors, noting that: "He has a background related to Estonia, which makes it easier for him to understand issues and convey them to Washington."

"A person like that could be helpful as an ambassador because we do have something to offer," Vare added.

"There's no doubt that he knows Estonia and the local situation. He spent his entire childhood here."

"I'm sure that Roman has a fully adequate understanding of where Estonia stands and what Estonia's security and confidence concerns are," Vare added.

Piko's daughter, model and author Elizabeth Pipko, is current national spokesperson for the Republican Party.

Current U.S. Ambassador to Estonia George P. Kent arrived in-country in January 2023 following a period of several years in which there had been no ambassador present in Estonia.

Ambassador Kent, a former deputy chief of the U.S. mission in Kyiv, notably testified during the 2019 impeachment hearings involving Donald Trump, addressing the alleged threat to withhold military aid to Ukraine unless information on Hunter Biden's business dealings there was provided.

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