Marcin Przydacz made the assessment at a media briefing after the B9 summit, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Hosted by Polish President Andrzej Duda, Slovak President Zuzanna Čaputová and Romania's Klaus Iohannis, the meeting was also attended by the leaders of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Bulgaria, as well as US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
Przydacz, who is Duda’s top foreign policy aide, told reporters that the B9 leaders adopted a joint declaration, reaffirming their shared commitment to “continue to reinforce our deterrence and defense posture.”
Mutual support, condemnation of Russia, support for Ukraine
“All the eastern-flank NATO allies agreed to support each other against any threats that we hope will never materialise,” Przydacz said.
He added that the declaration condemned “in the strongest possible terms” Russia’s “brutal, bloody war against Ukraine.”
He told reporters: “I would like to emphasise that all the members of the Bucharest format, all nine leaders, signed these words of condemnation aimed at Russia.”
Przydacz also said the B9 leaders stated that “Ukraine’s future lies in Europe” and that they “firmly support Ukraine’s Euro–Atlantic aspirations.”
The B9 reaffirmed its commitment to NATO’s Open Door policy, he added.
Call to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank
Moreover, Przydacz said, the B9 declaration identified Russia as “the most significant and direct threat to Allied security,” and therefore said NATO must “continue to reinforce our deterrence and defense posture across the entire Eastern flank from the Baltic to the Black Sea.”
He told the media that "in the behind-closed-doors part of the summit, all the nine members of the Bucharest format, President Biden and the NATO chief emphasised the need for further and deepest possible cooperation.”
Biden praises Poland
Przydacz also told reporters that Biden “highlighted the extraordinary work that Poland and the Polish people have done in recent months” in helping Ukraine and its people.
“For all of us, these words should bring satisfaction for having done a really good job, as Poland, by helping people in need, but also by protecting our own security interests,” Przydacz said.
B9 summit strengthened NATO and 'Polish-American alliance’
Przydacz went on to say: “The fact that many world leaders, both politicians as well as experts and journalists, are noting Poland’s big role should please us all. But what matters the most to us today is that Poland is safe, that NATO and the Polish-American alliance has been strengthened and confirmed by today’s meeting.”
Biden flew back to America on Wednesday afternoon, following a two-day visit to Poland that included bilateral talks with the Polish head of state, a major address to the Polish people outside Warsaw’s Royal Castle, and an appearance at the Bucharest Nine summit.
The US president came to Poland following a surprise visit to Kyiv.
Wednesday was day 364 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, president.pl, wnp.pl
Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland's Piotr Miszczuk.