“Russia is and will remain the most serious, long-term and direct threat to the security of NATO states. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is not an isolated conflict. It is a direct challenge to the entire Euro-Atlantic security order,” Polish President Karol Nawrocki said after the meeting of the Bucharest Nine.
The Bucharest Nine summit began today in Bucharest. In addition to the leaders of the nine NATO eastern flank countries, representatives of the Nordic states also took part in the meeting. During a press conference, President Nawrocki stressed that “the Bucharest Nine format is regarded as the voice of the eastern flank.”
“More than a decade ago, in the face of Russia’s increasingly visible neo-imperial ambitions, our countries decided at a meeting in Bucharest to coordinate efforts aimed at strengthening the security of NATO’s eastern flank. Today’s meeting continues and reinforces that cooperation. As you know, I am a strong supporter of expanding the B9 format to include the Scandinavian countries. I am particularly pleased that the leaders of the Nordic states — Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland — participated in today’s summit. This has significantly broadened our security perspective regarding the entire vertical line of responsibility along NATO’s eastern flank, from north to south. I am pleased to see this plan becoming a reality,” he said.
He also recalled that “over recent years, NATO has implemented many decisions and recommendations aimed at increasing the level of deterrence in our region.” The Polish president also spoke about the threat posed by Russia.
“Russia is and will remain the most serious, long-term and direct threat to the security of NATO states. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is not an isolated conflict. It is a direct challenge to the entire Euro-Atlantic security order. We are fully aware of this. The Kremlin seeks to rebuild its spheres of influence and weaken NATO cohesion,” he said.
According to the president, “we need a strong Europe within NATO — which means that countries belonging to the alliance, regardless of their geographic location, should move closer to fulfilling their allied commitments in terms of allocating financial resources to the development of military strength and defense capabilities.”
“This is the call from The Hague that we continue to uphold and that will serve as a point of reference in Ankara. It is about building a responsible and strong Europe composed of nation-states that take responsibility for their own security. This is a natural direction we would like to follow, not an attempt to seek an alternative to the strongest alliance in world history — NATO — built on strong relations with the United States, which we all intend to maintain, fully aware that they are of fundamental importance to our security. The United States has for many years fulfilled its obligations toward NATO and our countries,” he stated.
The head of state also recalled that Poland has reached defense spending amounting to nearly 5 percent of GDP.
“We feel that we are fulfilling our obligations. Many countries within the B9 group are acting similarly. We hope that all other EU states also recognize the threat that is so close to us,” he declared.