The Bucharest 9 (B9) and Nordic Countries Summit begins today, 13 May 2026, at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace in Bucharest, under the co-presidency of Romania and Poland, bringing together NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, leaders from NATO’s Eastern Flank states, and representatives of the Nordic countries.

The event is held under the theme “Delivering More for Transatlantic Security” and is co-chaired by Romanian President Nicușor Dan and Polish President Karol Nawrocki. The summit agenda includes a plenary session and a working lunch, followed by the adoption of a Joint Declaration. The co-chairs of the format, alongside the NATO Secretary General, are scheduled to hold a joint press conference at 17:00, while President Zelensky is expected to deliver remarks at the conclusion of the meeting.

The 2026 summit takes place less than two months before the NATO Summit in Ankara, scheduled for 7–8 July 2026, at a time of mounting pressure on European and transatlantic security.

Participants and Notable Absences

The meeting brings together NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, alongside leaders from the B9 states and Nordic countries, including Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

The United States is not represented at presidential level. The American delegation is led by Thomas DiNanno, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. President Nicușor Dan confirmed that the invitation sent to the US administration received a diplomatic response expressing appreciation for both the invitation and bilateral cooperation.

The absence of a high-ranking American representative is likely to be closely watched by Eastern Flank capitals amid ongoing debates regarding the level of Washington’s long-term commitment to European security.

The Agenda and the Real Stakes of the Meeting

The summit’s central objective is to reaffirm the importance of the transatlantic relationship and strengthen strategic coordination on NATO’s Eastern Flank. The Joint Declaration is expected to emphasize the threat posed by Russia, increased defense spending, the consolidation of Europe’s defense industry, military infrastructure coordination, Baltic and Black Sea security, and continued support for Ukraine.

The Bucharest 9 format was launched in 2015 at the joint initiative of Romania and Poland, following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea. The ten summits held so far have consolidated the B9’s status as a coherent Eastern Flank voice within the North Atlantic Alliance.

Romania is hosting the B9 Summit for the fourth time, following the inaugural 2015 edition, the hybrid-format summit in 2021, and the 2022 meeting, further consolidating its role as a central actor in the Eastern Flank’s security architecture.

Bucharest, the Center of Europe’s Defense Week

The B9 Summit is taking place in parallel with BSDA 2026 — Black Sea Defense & Aerospace, the largest defense exhibition in the event’s history, which also opened on Wednesday at the ROMAERO Băneasa platform. Together, the two events project the image of a Bucharest increasingly positioned as a regional hub for security diplomacy and the European defense industry.

“Romania, at national level, is consolidating itself and, by consolidating itself, it strengthens security in the Black Sea region, strengthens security on NATO’s Eastern Flank and in the Western Balkans,” President Nicușor Dan stated on Tuesday during the opening of the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum.

Atlas News is present today both at the Bucharest 9 Summit at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace and at the official opening of BSDA 2026 at ROMAERO Băneasa. The newsroom will follow the joint press statements delivered by the summit co-chairs and the NATO Secretary General, as well as the conferences and media-access panels taking place at the defense exhibition.

An in-depth analysis of the relevance and limitations of the B9 format as a security architecture instrument was previously published by Atlas News: The Expansion of the Bucharest 9 and the Security of NATO’s Eastern Flank.