NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attended a Bucharest Nine (B9) and Nordic Allies summit in Bucharest on Wednesday, where he called for “a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO.”
The meeting was co-hosted by Romania’s President Nicușor Dan and Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki, according to a statement issued by the NATO press service.
Rutte said the gathering of NATO Allies from the Black Sea to the Arctic “demonstrates our unity and determination to stand together, and to defend against any threat, from any direction.”
He linked the message to the run-up to the NATO summit in Ankara in July, saying Europe needed increased defence spending and defence production, and that European Allies should take more responsibility for their “conventional defence” — meaning non-nuclear military forces — “backed by American power.”
Zelenskyy joins talks on Ukraine
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined the meeting to discuss what more could be done to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression, NATO said.
Rutte urged more support through NATO’s PURL initiative, which the alliance said provides American military equipment to Ukraine paid for by Allies and partners.
