James Melville, the U.S. ambassador to Estonia, has stepped down from his post following controversial comments made by President Trump about the European Union.
“For the President to say the E.U. was ‘set up to take advantage of the United States, to attack our piggy bank,’ or that ‘NATO is as bad as NAFTA’ is not only factually wrong, but proves to me that it’s time to go,” Melville wrote in a private Facebook post, first reported by Foreign Policy magazine.
“I leave willingly and with deep gratitude for being able to serve my nation with integrity for many years, and with great confidence that America, which is and has always been, great, will someday return to being right,” Melville continued.
It was reported earlier this week that Trump asked French President Emmanuel Macron about leaving the European Union and indicated the U.S. would arrange a bilateral trade deal with France if France did so.
Trump also recently imposed steel and aluminum tariffs on the European Union.
Melville has been ambassador to Estonia since 2015.
