The discussion during the summit of the “Bucharest Nine“ was described as full-fledged, constructive and open by Romanian President Nikusor Dan, his Polish counterpart Karol Nawrocki and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who gave a joint press conference after the end of the forum, BTA reports.
They stressed the need for the Alliance's member states to increase their defense spending.
“Romania spends 2.5 percent of its GDP on defense, and 14 percent of that goes to new equipment“, informed Nikusor Dan. He stressed that there is an increasingly broad discussion within the Alliance about a fair distribution of contributions between the United States and European countries.
“The fact that the United States and Europe contribute fairly does not mean that Europe defends Europe and the United States defends the United States“, commented the Romanian president. He added that the goal of defense spending should be reached by 2035.
“The obligation of 3.5 percent plus 1.5 percent is until 2035. We are on this trajectory“, Nikusor Dan was categorical.
“NATO countries, regardless of where they are, must unite to honor their commitments regarding the allocation of funds for the development of the defense sector. "This is the first thing and the message from The Hague, preserved here and for the upcoming summit in Ankara," added Polish President Karol Nawrocki.
NATO head Mark Rutte pointed out that one of the great successes of US President Donald Trump's foreign policy was precisely the achievement of an agreement by the allies to increase defense spending. He stressed that several Allied countries have already exceeded the threshold of 5 percent of GDP for defense or are approaching this goal.
“Money is crucial“, said Mark Rutte, and welcomed the increase in military spending in countries such as Poland and Romania.
He and the presidents of the two countries also united around the view that there is no NATO without the United States and its military and financial potential, and that defense spending should be distributed proportionally between the Alliance and America.
They were also united that Russia is and will remain the greatest and ongoing threat, and the war in Ukraine - a direct challenge to the security of the Alliance.
“The ball is in Putin's court“, noted NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. He added that US President Donald Trump had helped to resume dialogue with Moscow, but stressed that Ukraine must continue to receive support to be able to resist on the front.
„The US president was the one who broke the impasse with Russia. We must ensure that Ukraine has what it needs to stay in the fight for as long as possible, including the significant support from the United States that continues to come to Ukraine, and all other forms of support from Europe," the NATO Secretary General explained.
According to him, any decisions on a ceasefire or compromise will belong exclusively to the authorities in Kiev.
“If the time comes for ceasefire negotiations, the decision on a compromise will depend on the Ukrainian government,“ Rutte specified.
He also said that the allies' goal was to reach a peace agreement that would prevent Russia from attacking Ukraine in the future, and revealed that NATO countries had already discussed the elements of a possible agreement at a meeting in Paris under the leadership of French President Emmanuel Macron.
“We have an aggressor - Putin, and Russia, and a victim - Ukraine. We have been supporting the Ukrainians since 2022, from the very beginning, with financial, military and humanitarian support“, noted Polish President Karol Nawrocki in turn. He added that the joint declaration adopted at the summit today confirms support for Kiev and support for lasting peace.
The topic was also commented on by Romanian President Nicușor Dan. He expressed the opinion that NATO is returning to its original role as a defense alliance in the context of the threat posed by Russia.
“NATO was created during the Cold War, when Russia was a threat to the European continent. After 1990, it seemed that Russia was no longer that threat, so NATO tried to redefine itself. Now we have returned to this threat, and NATO is returning to a defensive alliance for its territory,“ the head of state specified.
In response to a question, he explained that the countries on the Eastern Flank are not looking for alternatives to NATO.
“This alliance was built on solid foundations by the United States. We want to preserve it because it is fundamental to our security and we know that the United States has kept its word as a NATO member for many years“, the Polish president noted.
He called for the expansion of the B-9 format to include the Scandinavian countries in order to strengthen the security of the entire Eastern flank of NATO.
“In this way, let us expand our security perspective along the entire vertical of the Eastern flank, from north to south, from the Arctic to the Black Sea, passing through the Baltic Sea“, said Karol Nawrocki.
At the end of the press conference, he announced that the next summit of the “Bucharest Nine“ would be held in Poland.