Biden Gathers Eastern Europe... Where is NATO's Frontline B9?

B9, Security Consultation Body Among NATO's Easternmost Countries
Formed in 2015... Joint Response to Russian Threat

U.S. President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and subsequently held a summit with the Bucharest Nine (B9) in Warsaw, Poland, the easternmost NATO member state.

The Bucharest Nine are Eastern European countries bordering Russia, formed in response to the increased threat from Russia following its forced annexation of Crimea in Ukraine in 2014. The first summit was held the following year, in 2015, in Bucharest, Romania, which is how the group got its name.

U.S. President Joe Biden is attending the 'Bucharest Nine (B9)' summit, a security consultation body of NATO's Eastern Front countries, in Warsaw, Poland, on the 22nd (local time). Photo by AP and Yonhap News.

On the 22nd (local time), President Biden visited Poland, a NATO eastern frontline country bordering Ukraine, to mark the first anniversary of the outbreak of the Ukraine war. On this day, President Biden met with the B9 leaders and said, "The B9 is the frontline of our (NATO's) collective defense system," adding, "We will discuss the next steps that the allies can take together."

The B9 is a security consultation body among NATO eastern frontline countries, consisting of nine member states: Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Slovakia. The B9 was formed under the leadership of Romanian President Klaus Werner Iohannis and Polish President Andrzej Duda, and held its first summit on November 4, 2015, in Bucharest, Romania.

The emergence of the B9 is related to Russia's forced annexation of Crimea in 2014. As the regional security crisis escalated due to Russia's aggressive expansion, these countries came together to jointly respond to the Russian security threat.

On the 22nd (Korean time), U.S. President Joe Biden attended the B9 summit. Photo by Reuters·Yonhap News

Meanwhile, on the same day, President Biden emphasized NATO's unity while referring to Article 5 of the NATO Charter, which establishes the collective defense system. NATO is based on the principle of collective security, meaning that if one NATO member is attacked, it is considered an attack against all members, prompting a joint response.

He said, "The United States' commitment to NATO is clear," adding, "It is to defend every inch of NATO territory." He continued, "Russia is the most serious and direct threat to the security of the allies," and stated, "The nine countries will continuously strengthen deterrence and defense posture across the entire eastern region of Europe, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea."