OSLO: According to Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of NATO, all members of the alliance are in favour of Ukraine joining the organisation.

Before an informal gathering of NATO Foreign Affairs ministers, Stoltenberg assured reporters that "all allies agree that Moscow does not have a veto against NATO enlargement. Allies concur that Ukraine will join. We are moving.

Alar Karis, the president of Estonia, told Arab News in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the annual Lennart Meri Conference on Friday that there is no alternative to Ukraine joining NATO.

Also Read: Russian airstrike on Kiev results in three deaths

At the alliance's summit in July in Vilnius, Lithuania, 95 Estonian legislators signed a statement urging Ukraine's immediate accession to NATO, arguing that this was the only way to guarantee global order, peace, and security.

In order to strengthen the alliance's overall security against Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February of last year, Karis claimed that the Estonian government was looking for a "road map" for Ukraine's admission to NATO.

However, there is currently little agreement among important NATO members as to when or whether Ukraine needs to join the alliance; Hungary, Germany, and even the US have expressed opposition to the move.

Also Read: BRICS ministers meet in an effort to forge a group as a counterbalance to the West.

Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, said in September that the best way to support Kyiv is "through practical, on-the-ground support" and that "the process in Brussels should be taken up at a different time." Sullivan was asked if Washington was willing to consider Ukraine's request for accelerated NATO membership.

How does the Biden administration's stance affect countries on the eastern periphery of NATO?

Different nations, of course, have various viewpoints, Karis said. "The same is true of membership in the EU. Therefore, we must talk about it and explain why and how it is significant. Even though it doesn't happen overnight, we still need to talk about it. So let's talk about how to accomplish this. This does not imply that we must remain silent in Vilnius as well.

"It's important to be a part of an alliance, and NATO is the only available defence ally at the moment. Actually, there is no other option. But that would need the consent of all member states.

Also Read: Indonesia's creative sector has its sights set on Saudi Arabian pilgrims

It is a matter of collective defence for Karis and other Eastern European leaders.

"It isn't just us. Not just Estonia, but also Latvia, Lithuania, and as of late, Finland. We are all impacted by it. Not just in Europe. Additionally, there is a transatlantic component, he added.