Kaimo Kuusk (born 5 December 1975), is an Estonian diplomat and foreign intelligence officer. From 2019 until 2023, he was the Estonian ambassador to Ukraine. In 2023, he became Estonia's ambassador to Lithuania.

Early life and education

Kaimo Kuusk was born in

Abja-Paluoja Abja-Paluoja is a town in Mulgi Parish, Viljandi County, in southern Estonia. Abja-Paluoja got the town status and became a separate urban municipality in 1993. History First documented records of the Abja manor and village date from 1457 (''A ...

. He attended secondary school at the

Hugo Treffner Gymnasium Hugo Treffner Gymnasium (; abbreviated as HTG) is a secondary school in Tartu, Estonia with special emphasis on science education. Founded by Hugo Treffner, it was the only large secondary school in 19th-century Estonia with predominantly Estonia ...

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

. He is a 1998 graduate of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; ; ) is a public research university located in the city of Tartu, Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is also the largest and oldest university in the country.

Career

Kuusk began his career employed at the

Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service The Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service (EFIS; , ''VLA'') is the foreign intelligence service of Estonia. The Foreign Intelligence Service coordinates with all Estonian intelligence functions, collects intelligence concerning foreign interests a ...

(, ''VLA''). He was head of the department from 1998 until 2008, and Deputy Director General from 2008 until 2019. In 2019, he was appointed the Advisor of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Bureau of the

Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia () is a Cabinet-level governmental agency in Estonia in charge of conducting and designing Estonian Foreign policy. History The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia was established in 1919 soon aft ...

(). On 11 July 2019, he was appointed as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Estonia to Ukraine, succeeding Gert Antsu. He arrived in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

for his position on 1 August, and on 11 September 2019, he presented

President of Ukraine The president of Ukraine (, ) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, conducts negotiations and concludes international treaties. ...

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

his credentials and reaffirmed Estonia's continued support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. In 2023, Kuusk was appointed the Estonian ambassador to Lithuania, with Annely Kolk being appointed Estonia's new ambassador to Ukraine. On 28 August 2023, Kuusk presented

President of Lithuania The president of the Republic of Lithuania () is the head of state of the Republic of Lithuania. The president directs and appoints the executive branch of the Government of Lithuania, represents the nation internationally and is the commande ...

Gitanas Nausėda Gitanas Nausėda (; ; born 19 May 1964) is a Lithuanian politician, economist, and banker who is serving as the ninth and incumbent president of Lithuania since 2019. Born in Klaipėda, Nausėda graduated from Vilnius University with an economic ...

his credentials.

Personal life

Kuusk played football for

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

football club FC Toompea, retiring in 2014.

Acknowledgement

Order of the White Star The Order of the White Star (; ) was instituted in 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonian citizens and foreigners to give recognition for services rendered to the Estonian state. Design Classes The Order of the White Star ...

, V Class (2006) *Cross of Merit, I Class (2022)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuusk, Kaimo 1975 births Living people Ambassadors of Estonia to Ukraine Ambassadors of Estonia to Lithuania Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 5th Class Hugo Treffner Gymnasium alumni University of Tartu alumni People from Abja-Paluoja