Bucharest Nine summit: Leaders back ‘NATO 3.0’ strategy in joint statement, call Russia the alliance’s main long-term threat

NATO’s Eastern Flank and Nordic allies endorsed on Wednesday, May 13, a new “NATO 3.0” strategy focused on higher defence spending, stronger European military capabilities, and a reinforced transatlantic alliance. Meeting in Bucharest, the leaders also described Russia as “the most significant, long-term and direct threat” to Allied security.

The joint declaration was adopted during the Bucharest Nine (B9) and Nordic Allies Summit co-hosted by Romanian president Nicușor Dan and Polish leader Karol Nawrocki, with the participation of NATO secretary general Mark Rutte, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, and representatives of the United States as observers.