Why in news?

• Bucharest Nine rejected the Russian claim about the eastward “expansion” of NATO.
• B9 is a group of 9 NATO countries in Eastern Europe that became part of the US-led military alliance after end of Cold War.
• It was founded in 2015, and takes its name from Bucharest, the capital of Romania.
• All members of B9 are part of European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
• B9 members are Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and three Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.