Zelenskyy warns Northern, Central Europe

Volodymyr Zelenskyy used a May 13 address to the Bucharest Nine Summit to warn that Northern and Central Europe remain under direct threat from Russia, tying that warning to Moscow’s earlier demand that NATO roll back to its 1997 borders. The Ukrainian president said the threat was not theoretical and said Russia would return to that demand “if they get the chance.” He delivered the remarks in an address published by the Ukrainian presidency during a day of meetings in Bucharest with leaders from Romania, Poland, Latvia and Finland. (president.gov.ua) Zelenskyy paired the warning with a call for more European defense coordination, more support for Ukraine and a stronger NATO signal ahead of the alliance’s July summit in Türkiye. ### What exactly did Zelenskyy say about Northern and Central Europe? The May 13 speech said Northern and Central Europe are “the very part of Europe that is under direct Russian threat in every sense,” according to the transcript published by the office of Ukraine’s president. Zelenskyy said that was already clear before Russia’s full-scale invasion, when Moscow demanded that NATO return to its 1997 borders. The 1997 reference matters because Zelenskyy framed it as a demand affecting the countries gathered in the Bucharest Nine format. “In other words, they demanded giving up all of you – all of us,” he said, adding that Russia would “definitely come back to it” if allowed the opportunity. (president.gov.ua) ### Which leaders was he addressing in Bucharest? The Bucharest Nine summit brought together a group of NATO members on the alliance’s eastern flank, and Zelenskyy’s remarks were addressed to participants he identified in the transcript as including Romanian President Nicușor Dan and Polish President Karol Nawrocki. The Ukrainian presidency’s news page also showed Zelenskyy holding bilateral meetings in Bucharest on May 13 with Romania’s president, Latvia’s President Edgars Rinkēvičs, Poland’s Nawrocki and Finland’s Alexander Stubb. (president.gov.ua) Romania figured prominently in the day’s schedule. A separate item from the Ukrainian presidency said Zelenskyy met the Romanian president in Bucharest later that evening to discuss technology cooperation with partners. (president.gov.ua) ### How did he connect the warning to military support? Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s defense remains “the first and most important thing stopping Russia,” and he thanked European countries and the United States for support during the war. He then linked Europe’s own security directly to continued aid for Ukraine. A second presidency item from the summit focused on drones and air defense. (president.gov.ua) In that statement, Zelenskyy said all participating countries needed bilateral drone deals and a “multi-level protection system,” particularly against drones and combined air attacks. The same item said Ukrainian expertise was already being used by partners in the Gulf, the Middle East and the South Caucasus, and that work had also begun in Europe. (president.gov.ua) Lithuania signed a defense cooperation agreement with Ukraine on May 13 under what Kyiv called a “drone deal” format. The Ukrainian presidency said the agreement covers defense-industrial and technological cooperation, including air and missile defense, unmanned systems, and the prospect of localizing drone production in Lithuania. (president.gov.ua) ### What did Zelenskyy ask Europe to do next? Zelenskyy said Europe’s 90 billion euro support package should start working “no later than the beginning of June,” with the first funding directed in particular to critically needed drone production. He also said the European Union should open the first negotiating cluster on Ukraine’s membership, describing that as a political signal about the bloc’s strength. (president.gov.ua) July was the other date he highlighted. Zelenskyy said Europe should make sure the NATO summit in Türkiye is not wasted and should ensure the meeting sends “positive signals” to the Euro-Atlantic community. He added that July must show NATO is “strong and is not going to fall apart, weaken, or fall behind.” (president.gov.ua) ### Why does the 1997 line keep resurfacing in Ukrainian messaging? The 1997 border reference has become a shorthand in Kyiv’s messaging for Russia’s broader attempt to redraw Europe’s security order. Zelenskyy used the same line in this speech to argue that the countries of Northern and Central Europe are not bystanders to the war but part of the security equation he says Moscow is trying to change. (president.gov.ua) That framing came directly from his published remarks, not from a separate policy paper. The next concrete milestones are already on the calendar. Early June is Zelenskyy’s deadline for the 90 billion euro European support package to begin, and July’s NATO summit in Türkiye is the next named gathering where Ukraine wants allied leaders to show unity. (president.gov.ua)