Roman Pipko

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Roman Pipko
United States Ambassador to Estonia
Assuming office
October 8, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
SucceedingGeorge P. Kent
Personal details
Born (1960-07-10) July 10, 1960 (age 65)
Soviet-occupied Estonia
RelativesElizabeth Pipko (daughter)
Marc Klionsky (father-in-law)
EducationColumbia University (BA)
Yale University (JD)

Roman Pipko (born July 10, 1960) is an Estonia-born American lawyer and the United States ambassador to Estonia. He was nominated by President Donald Trump, and confirmed by the US Senate to the position on October 8, 2025.

Early life and education

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Roman Pipko was born in Estonia, in 1960, during the Soviet occupation (1944–1991) of the country, to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents.[1][2] His parents were lawyers who had been sent by the Soviet Union authorities from Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg, Russia) to occupied Estonia immediately after they had graduated from the Leningrad University law school.[2]

At an early age, his mother enrolled him in an Estonian-language preschool against his father's wishes.[2] He attended the Faculty of Law at the University of Tartu in Estonia.[3] He was not completely fluent in Estonian at the time.[4][5]

In 1981, his mother left her husband, a member of the Soviet Communist Party, with their children to escape communism and start a better life for her family in the United States.[6] Despite the strict Soviet laws restricting emigration, Jews were sometimes allowed to emigrate.[5]

After immigrating to the United States in 1981, Roman Pipko graduated from Columbia University in the City of New York, and from Yale Law School in 1986.[7]

Career

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After immigrating to the US, Pipko worked at the Harriman Institute at Columbia University.[8] He practiced law at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, where he was a specialist in Russian law.[9] He represented America as a senior counsel the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and was senior managing director of the Russian American Enterprise Fund.[10] He has been involved in projects for the Export Import Bank.[6]

Pipko visited Estonia as a legal advisor to US investors including Ronald Lauder in 1991, where he proved his fluency in Estonian and Russian.[11] In 2009 he was the majority partner of Remi International which was part of a consortium, also with Ronald Lauder, that launched Tallinn Entertainment to renovate Tallinn City Hall.[12] The project was to include a conference center, concert hall, casino center, and hotel at the site.[13] Although an agreement was signed,[14][15] it was canceled because the city and the company could not agree on the project's ownership structure.[16] The site continues to be abandoned.[13] He also participated in failed negotiations for an American consortium to renovate a cement plant in Kunda, Estonia.[5]

He was an executive and special counsel at Leon Tempelsman and Son.[17]

In 2024, he was appointed by President-elect Donald Trump to be the United States ambassador to Estonia.[18] The announcement is high-profile because Estonia is a United States NATO ally that borders Russia.[19][20]

Philanthropy

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He is president of the board of trustees of the Park East Day School.[7]

Family

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Model and political operative Elizabeth Pipko is his daughter. He is married to Elena Klionsky, a concert pianist and daughter of Marc Klionsky.[21]

He and his family have been members of the Park East Synagogue since 1974.[22]

References

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  1. ^ "Trump chooses Estonia-born lawyer as ambassador to the Baltic nation". POLITICO. January 4, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Pipko, Simona (2002). Baltic Winds: Testimony of a Soviet Attorney. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 9781469112787.
  3. ^ "Kes on tulevane USA suursaadik Eestis? Toonane kursusekaaslane ja lähedane sõber: ta oli väga tubli õppija". Delfi (in Estonian). Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  4. ^ According to a classmate, future Estonian MP Valdo Randpere, Pipko was able to speak Estonian despite not being fluent in the language because his family was Russian-speaking.
  5. ^ a b c ERR, Valner Väino | (January 7, 2025). "Some Estonian political leaders praise Trump ambassador nominee". ERR. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Linnahalli arendajal pole USA valitsuse tagatist". Eesti Ekspress (in Estonian). Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Board of Trustees". Rabbi Arthur Schneier Park East Day School. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  8. ^ Simona Pipko & Roman Pipko, Inside the Soviet Bar: A View from the Outside, 21 INT'L L. 853 (1987) https://scholar.smu.edu/til/vol21/iss3/13
  9. ^ Knecht, BY G. Bruce (January 26, 1992). "From Soviet Minister to Corporate Chief". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  10. ^ Russian-American Enterprise Fund Annual Report 1994 (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 17, 2016.
  11. ^ ERR (January 4, 2025). "Trump valis oma suursaadikuks Eestis siin sündinud juristi Roman Pipko". ERR (in Estonian). Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  12. ^ "Linn maksab sadu tuhandeid linnahalli kütmise eest". Postimees (in Estonian). November 10, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  13. ^ a b "FOTOD JA VIDEO | Linnahalli lugu seitsmes vaatuses. Selle meepoti ümber on tiirelnud kirev seltskond. Meenuta, milline see seest välja näeb". Ärileht (in Estonian). Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  14. ^ "Aas lendab USAsse linnahalli investoritega lepingut sõlmima". www.ohtuleht.ee (in Estonian). Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  15. ^ "Linnahalli renoveerimiseks on leping sõlmitud". Ehitusuudised (in Estonian). Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  16. ^ "Trump valis järgmiseks suursaadikuks Eestis siin sündinud juristi". Delfi (in Estonian). Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  17. ^ "Roman Pipko". Rabbi Arthur Schneier Park East Day School. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  18. ^ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  19. ^ "Trump chooses Estonia-born lawyer as ambassador to the Baltic nation". POLITICO. January 4, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  20. ^ ERR (January 4, 2025). "Trump valis oma suursaadikuks Eestis siin sündinud juristi Roman Pipko". ERR (in Estonian). Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  21. ^ "About". Elena Klionsky. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  22. ^ "Roman Pipko". Rabbi Arthur Schneier Park East Day School. Retrieved January 8, 2025.