Strengthening relations, importance of rule of law. White House statement after B9 summit

U.S. President Joe Biden spoke on Monday with NATO’s eastern flank Allies in a virtual summit of the Bucharest Nine (B9) countries hosted by Klaus Iohannis and Andrzej Duda, Presidents of Romania and Poland respectively.

"President Biden underscored his commitment to rebuilding alliances and strengthening Transatlantic relations. He conveyed his desire for closer cooperation with our nine Allies in Central Europe and the Baltic and Black Sea regions on the full range of challenges, including global health security, climate change, energy security, and global economic recovery" - the White House said in a statement issued after the B9 summit.

The United States president also "expressed his support for enhancing NATO’s deterrence and defense posture, as well as the importance of Allies increasing their resilience against harmful economic and political actions by our strategic competitors".

"In addition, he welcomed the opportunity to engage with these Allies – as well as with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who was also in attendance – about Alliance efforts to meet future threats, which will be discussed at the June 14 NATO Summit" - the statement reads.

Finally, the U.S. head of state stressed "the importance of strengthening democratic governance and rule of law – at home, within the Alliance, and around the world".

The B9 summit was attended by hosting presidents of Poland and Romania, while the presidents of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia and Slovakia, as well as Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg participated online.