Estonian President Alar Karis said: “It is important that we expand the European Union to include countries such as Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia,” explaining that “Europe is open to all and the path to membership is a long one.”

In an interview with Al Jazeera, he pointed out that “NATO is a defensive alliance and does not plan to attack any country, and we should not worry about the Russian reaction”, and stated that “the number of forces on NATO’s eastern front will be determined during meeting in Madrid.

Karis stressed: “We support Ukraine and provide it with military assistance, but we did not participate in the battle as a member of the alliance, we are a member of NATO, and I do not think that Russia will attack the country in the alliance, because this has serious consequences.” He added: “We need to have a standing force on NATO’s eastern front.”

He considered that “Russian passport holders are now being exposed to Russian propaganda”, stressing that “we cannot imagine the existence of pressure on any country to give up part of its territory, and this is not an option.”