Bucharest Nine expects "nothing good" of Russia's UN Security Council presidency

The summit of the Bucharest Nine, a group of countries on the eastern edge of NATO, was jointly hosted by the foreign ministers of Romania and Poland in the Polish city of Łódź and was aimed at coordinating their security positions ahead of a full NATO summit in July.

"Nothing good can be expected from this presidency and I hope that Russia will exercise restraint in exercising this presidency without affecting the efforts at the level of the United Nations and in general, the level of the international community as a whole, to whether to move forward with the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine," Romanian Foreign Minister Boghdan Aurescu told media.

"It is a very unfortunate coincidence that is the result of the internal procedures of (the United Nation's) Security Council. We do not expect anything constructive from this presidency (Russia's rotating presidency of the Security Council in April)," Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau added.

The Kremlin said on Friday that Russia plans to exercise all its rights at the United Nations as it takes over the rotating presidency of the Security Council in April.

The United States on Thursday (March 30) urged Russia to "conduct itself professionally" when it assumes the role, saying there were no means to block Moscow from the post.

"The B9 Ministers stood united demonstrating the unity of NATO’s Eastern Flank countries. The meeting confirmed that our countries are determined to work together to strengthen the whole Alliance, to reinforce its deterrence and defence posture and to continue our support to Ukraine," we read in a statement published at Poland's MFA website.

Furthermore, the MFA statement listed the commitments made during Łódź summit.

"Taking into account our today’s and yesterday’s discussions, we note that the B9 countries will:

- act towards the full and timely implementation of all decisions adopted during the 2022 Madrid Summit and actively engage in preparations for a substantive outcome of the 2023 Vilnius Summit, particularly when it comes to a new baseline for NATO’s deterrence and defence posture, including forward defence and enhanced Allied military presence in the B9 countries;

- continue to present an unwavering support to Ukraine in its fight to defend against Russia’s brutal aggression. The participants will continue their military and non-military assistance to help Ukrainians repel Russia’s aggression and restore Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity;

- work towards strengthening the transatlantic link, stressing the importance of the continued US presence in Europe, in particular on the Eastern Flank;

- look forward to welcoming Finland and Sweden as NATO Allies as soon as possible;

- firmly support NATO’s Open Door Policy, including through enhancing practical and political strategic alignment between NATO and Ukraine;

- continue a discussion on the European security, with Ukraine and Republic of Moldova as important elements of its future architecture; - support Republic of Moldova’s resilience against Russia’s malign influence and defence capacity building;

- present a unified position with regard to condemning Belarussian support for Russia’s military actions and the decision of deployment of tactical nuclear weapons by Russia in Belarus;

- work towards the development of NATO-EU cooperation aimed to strengthen the security of the Euro-Atlantic area, in particular in the context of Russian aggression."