Russia is the biggest threat to NATO, the place of Ukraine

The leaders of the Bucharest Nine, meeting in Warsaw on Wednesday, reaffirmed their support for Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations and called Russia “the most significant and direct threat to the security of the members of the Alliance.”

This is stated in a joint statement by the leaders of the “Bucharest Nine”, writes “European truth“.

“A year ago, Russia destroyed peace and security in Europe, trying to subdue Ukraine by force. The actions of the Kremlin led to a sharp deterioration in the security environment in the Euro-Atlantic region, and also seriously worsened the security of our partners,” the leaders of the countries of the format emphasize.

The statement notes that “Russia is the most significant and direct threat to the security of the members of the Alliance,” and at the same time points to the defensive nature of the Alliance.

The Bucharest Nine leaders reaffirmed their commitment to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and their intention to increase NATO’s “forces and means of deterrence and defense and strengthen the Alliance’s military presence in our countries.”

They also expressed readiness to “continue international pressure on Russia”, condemned “all those, including Belarus, who are actively contributing to Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine”, and emphasized Kiev’s support “for as long as necessary”.

“The future of Ukraine is in Europe. We firmly support Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations,” the joint statement reads.

Also, the leaders of the Bucharest Nine expressed their readiness to support NATO partners – Moldova, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as to facilitate the early entry of Sweden and Finland into the Alliance.

The “Bucharest Nine” is an international initiative of nine NATO member countries of Central and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic), the purpose of which is to deepen military cooperation between the countries of the eastern flank of the Alliance, and also a discussion of key security policy issues.

The last meeting of the format leaders took place on February 22 as part of US President Joe Biden’s visit to Poland.