Bucharest Nine Summit begins in Romania, with Zelenskyy expected to attend

The Bucharest Nine Summit, a format that brings together NATO's eastern flank countries, has begun in Romania, with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also expected to attend.

As reported by Digi24, a Romanian media outlet, Polish President Karol Nawrocki was the first of the Bucharest Nine leaders to arrive in Bucharest. Romanian President Nicușor Dan received him at Cotroceni Palace for bilateral talks. The two presidents will jointly chair the Bucharest Nine summit.

Mark Rutte is also due to arrive shortly. He, Nawrocki and Dan are scheduled to hold a working dinner in the evening.

The leaders of the Nordic countries will also meet separately.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also expected to attend. He received the invitation during his visit to Bucharest in March.

The Bucharest Nine was founded in 2015 as a format for security cooperation. It includes Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Meetings within this format are held at the level of leaders, foreign ministers and defence ministers.

Romania has proposed regrouping the EU eastern flank to defend against Russian drones.