NATO Officials and Zelenskyy Meet in Bucharest Ahead of July Summit in Ankara

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte participated in the Bucharest Nine (B9) and Nordic Allies Summit on Wednesday 13 May 2026 in Bucharest. The meeting was co-hosted by President Nicușor Dan of Romania and President Karol Nawrocki of Poland. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined the gathering to discuss what more can be done to help Ukraine defend against Russian aggression.

Photographs from the summit showed Rutte standing with the two presidents as well as with other leaders including Petr Pavel of Czechia, Gitanas Nausėda of Lithuania and Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark. " The statement underscored expectations that European nations will shoulder greater conventional defence burdens while retaining American support.

Rutte urged more support for Ukraine through NATO’s PURL initiative. NATO’s PURL initiative continues to provide American military equipment to Ukraine paid for by Allies and partners. The Bucharest discussions centred on practical steps to sustain that assistance amid ongoing Russian aggression.

The summit brought together NATO Allies spanning geography from the Black Sea region to the Arctic, a configuration Rutte presented as evidence of broad-based solidarity. A family photo released from the event captured the full group of participants in Bucharest.

U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas DiNanno. @NATO reported that the one-day meeting occurred on the same date as its public announcement, 13 May 2026. The gathering served as an important preparatory session before the full NATO Summit scheduled for Ankara in July 2026.