Reinsalu was born in Tallinn, Estonia, on 22 June 1975.[5] He graduated from the Tallinn Secondary School No. 37. He then studied law at the University of Tartu, graduating in 1997.[6]
From 2007 to 2013, Reinsalu was a member of the Riigikogu, the unicameral parliament of Estonia. On 28 January 2012, Reinsalu became the chairman of the Pro Patria and Res Publica Union, an Estonian national-conservative, Christian-democratic political party, replacing Mart Laar.[8][9] He was elected chairman with an absolute majority in the first round of voting at the party congress held in Tallinn.[9]
Minister of Defence (2012-2015)
On 11 May 2012, Reinsalu was appointed minister of defence, replacing Mart Laar, who resigned from office for health reasons.[5][8][10][11] Reinsalu's term as the minister of defence ended on 26 March 2014, when he was replaced by Sven Mikser.[12] From 2014 to 2015, he was a member of the Riigikogu.
As the Pro Patria and Res Publica Union was the biggest loser in the elections with 9 seats lost, Reinsalu announced he would resign as party chairman after the party's congress in June 2015.[14] On 6 June 2015, he was replaced by Margus Tsahkna in the post.[15]
Minister of Foreign Affairs (2019-2021, 2022-2023)
At the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in November 2022 Reinsalu stated that "The message is clear: that all NATO allies are aware that the beast also wants to take control of the Western Balkans, and we need - by practical, deliverable support to help these countries to survive."[18]
On 31 March 2023 at a meeting of the Bucharest Nine Reinsalu called for the cancellation of the NATO-Russia Founding Act, because in his view cooperation with the country was "out of the question".[19]
At the NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting on 4-5 April 2023 in an exclusive interview with the Kyiv Independent Reinsalu warned that a "false peace is prelude to new wars"; Reinsalu "think[s] it is very reasonable" if his country acted as a conduit for the Ukrainians to obtain F-16s.[20][21]
Controversies
In 2012, Reinsalu was criticized for endorsing Estonia's "Valentine's Day Law" that declared Estonian WW2 veterans who fought on the side of Nazi Germany (including members of the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS) "freedom fighters",[22] and for attending the meeting of the Union of Estonian Freedom Fighters (an organization of these veterans) on the island Saaremaa. During his visit, Reinsalu gave a laudatory speech to the veterans for having "liberated Estonia". Later on, in July 2013, he sent his greetings to the Union, praising the organization for "keeping the ideals of liberty alive".[23]
^ abShafir, Michael (December 2018). "The Nature of Postcommunist Antisemitism in East Central Europe: Ideology's Backdoor Return". Journal of Contemporary Antisemitism. 1 (2): 33–62 [40–42]. doi:10.26613/jca/1.2.12. S2CID158144987.