Romanian President Nicușor Dan will host the Summit of the Bucharest Nine (B9) Format and the Nordic countries on Wednesday, May 13, at Cotroceni Palace. The summit brings together senior NATO, European, and Ukrainian officials for discussions on regional security and defense cooperation. It comes amid ongoing concerns over Russia’s war in Ukraine and efforts to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank and transatlantic coordination.

The event, co-chaired by Dan and Polish President Karol Nawrocki, will focus on the theme “Delivering More for Transatlantic Security.” Participants will include NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, along with the heads of state from Lithuania, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovakia, and Finland.

Other attendees will include Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Sweden’s Defense Minister, Norway’s Foreign Minister, senior Icelandic officials, representatives from Bulgaria and Hungary, and US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas DiNanno.

The official agenda includes the arrival of heads of delegations at 10:30 a.m., followed by the opening plenary session at 11 a.m. Nicușor Dan and Karol Nawrocki will deliver opening remarks. The summit will also feature a family photo session, a working lunch, and joint press statements.

The Bucharest Nine format was established in 2015 by Romania and Poland to coordinate the security interests of NATO’s eastern member states following Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Since …, the Nordic countries have joined the high-level meetings in this format.