Estonia's ambassador Hanso: Trump laughed when I offered to read his credentials in Estonian

Estonia's ambassador to the United States, Hannes Hanso, took part in a ceremony at the White House on September 15 where he presented his credentials to President Donald Trump. That day, Trump received credentials from 14 new ambassadors.

Speaking to an ERR correspondent in Washington, Hanso said the ceremony was brief but left a strong impression. He recounted presenting his credentials to Trump in Estonian and jokingly asking whether the president wanted to read them aloud in Estonian. According to Hanso, Trump laughed at the suggestion.

Hanso said there was no lengthy personal conversation with Trump beyond that, but the US president handed him a written reply to a letter the ambassador had sent. In it, Trump emphasized shared values and freedoms, the importance of transatlantic and security relations, and the strong ties between Estonia and the United States. Hanso described the message as positive, noting it also stressed the importance of entrepreneurship, business development and rising prosperity.

Talks around the ceremony

The ambassador said important discussions for Estonia took place both before and after the official ceremony. He spoke with White House representatives about a conference on Ukraine's reconstruction planned in Estonia, as well as a memorandum of understanding on critical rare earth metals.

Hanso compared the atmosphere in Washington to a similar credentials ceremony he experienced in China, where he previously served as ambassador, saying the mood at the White House was far more informal and personal — with officials exchanging phone numbers and suggesting meetings right away.

Hanso named maintaining strong Estonia-US relations regardless of changes in US administrations as a key measure of his success in the role. Beyond security matters, he highlighted economic cooperation with American companies and ties with Estonia's diaspora community in the US, which he said numbers more than 30,000 people of Estonian descent. Estonia's Foreign Ministry noted the country is allocating over 5% of GDP to defense this year. Hanso served as Estonia's defense minister in 2015-2016, was a member of the Riigikogu and the European Parliament, and served as Estonia's ambassador to China, Mongolia and Vietnam from 2023 to 2026.