B9 + Nordic Allies Summit Bucharest: 'NATO 3.0' Framework Adopted — Russia Declared 'Most Significant Threat'; Rutte Proposes 0.25% GDP Ukraine Pledge

NATO Secretary General Rutte attended the B9 + Nordic Allies Summit at Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest alongside Presidents Dan (Romania), Nawrocki (Poland), Zelensky (Ukraine), and allied delegations from 13 Eastern flank and Nordic members. The joint declaration explicitly framed the alliance's structural evolution as 'NATO 3.0': European allies take primary responsibility for conventional defense, with the US providing nuclear deterrence and intelligence backstop. Russia was designated 'the most significant and direct long-term threat.' Rutte formally proposed 0.25% GDP/year Ukraine military commitment from all 32 allies (~$143B/year total) — designed to be US-independent and insulated from Washington's political shifts. Expected Helsingborg and Ankara agenda item; southern ally resistance reported. Rutte: 'We need a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO.'