President Nicusor Dan is hosting the 11th Summit of the Bucharest 9 (B9) Format at Cotroceni Presidential Palace on Wednesday, with the participation of the Nordic states, the U.S. and Ukraine.

According to the Presidential Administration, the meeting is being held under the imperative of increased contribution to transatlantic security, a formula reflecting the collective commitment of allies on the Eastern and Nordic Flanks to contribute even more substantially to transatlantic security.

Romania is hosting the B9 Summit for the fourth time, following the inaugural edition in 2015, the hybrid-format edition in 2021 and the 2022 edition, thereby consolidating its status as a central actor in the security architecture of the Eastern Flank, according to a press release sent to AGERPRES.

According to the quoted source, President Nicusor Dan will co-chair the proceedings alongside his Polish counterpart Karol Nawrocki, representing the co-founding state of the format.

Sixteen foreign delegations at the level of heads of state, heads of government or government representatives will be present in Bucharest:

*The B9 Format: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.

*The Nordic allies: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

*NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

*Special guests include President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas DiNanno.

***
The summit will include a plenary session and a working lunch.

At the end of the meeting, the leaders will adopt a joint declaration.

The co-chairs of the format, Romania and Poland, together with the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, will hold a press conference at the conclusion of the event.

***
The Bucharest 9 Format was launched in 2015 at the joint initiative of Romania and Poland in response to Russia's illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.

The ten meetings held so far have confirmed the format's status as a coherent voice of the Eastern Flank within the North Atlantic Alliance.

The 2026 Summit is taking place less than two months before the NATO Summit in Ankara (7-8 July 2026), at a time of increased pressure on European and transatlantic security, the quoted release shows. 'Russia remains the most significant and direct long-term threat to the Alliance. NATO's Eastern Flank continues to be particularly exposed through violations of allied airspace, acts of sabotage, threats to critical infrastructure and campaigns of hybrid aggression, all of which define the strategic reality of the region,' the source points out.

The Bucharest Summit will serve as a forum for assessing preparations for the NATO Summit in Ankara and monitoring the expected outcomes.

Topics on the agenda include:

*Increased defence spending, namely the implementation of The Hague commitments regarding the allocation of 5% of GDP to defence and the strengthening of the transatlantic industrial base.

*Strategic coherence on the Eastern Flank, through a unified north-to-south approach focused on coordination and interoperability.

*Support for Ukraine and the importance for European and transatlantic security of a just and lasting resolution to the conflict.

*Fair burden-sharing within NATO, including increased contributions from European allies and Canada, as well as greater investment in defence research and innovation.

According to the Presidential Administration, the Romanian head of state will highlight the importance of strategic coherence across the entire Eastern Flank, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, and will underline the need to implement The Hague commitments regarding increasing defence spending to 5% of GDP and strengthening the capacity of the transatlantic defence industry. Nicusor Dan will also reiterate firm support for Ukraine as an investment in allied security.

The summit will provide Romania with a valuable opportunity to maintain heightened attention on regional security developments, including in the case of partners exposed to the Russian threat, such as the Republic of Moldova.

Last but not least, also highlighted will be the need to intensify European contributions to burden-sharing with the U.S. through assuming a greater role in European security, the afore-mentioned press release also reads. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Andreea Rotaru; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)