US State Secretary disagrees with Russian president on allies in Black Sea

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hit back at Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Second Black Sea Security Conference in Sofia on April 15, challenging his prediction that Ukraine’s neighbours would be disunited while asserting strong US support for the region.

Blinken joined the Second Black Sea Security Conference in Sofia, organised jointly by the Foreign Ministries of Bulgaria and Ukraine in partnership with the Center for Defence Strategies (Ukraine), via video call, Euractiv reports.

“Putin thought that Ukraine’s neighbours would be disunited, but he was wrong,” Blinken told the conference on April 15.

“Allies in the Black Sea region can rely on the United States,” he added, emphasising the need for Western assistance to strengthen Kyiv’s military capabilities.

NATO has previously announced plans to expand its presence in the Black Sea region, with plans for a base of 10,000 troops in Romania and another with 5,000 in Bulgaria.

“Our allies in the Black Sea can count on the US to make the region more secure, more prosperous and more integrated,” the US Secretary of State said, noting that “we are working with Bulgaria to deter foreign disinformation”.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also emphasised the region’s security. “We need to strengthen security in the Black Sea, which is crucial for Bulgaria, Ukraine, Türkiye, and Romania,” he said at the conference.

“Only Russia’s defeat and the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity will guarantee stability and peace”. “The Black Sea must become a sea of NATO, peace and stability,” Kuleba added.

Also speaking at the conference was Bulgarian acting Foreign Minister Stefan Dimitrov, who said that investing in the security of the Black Sea region is key to creating the Euro-Atlantic area for peace and freedom in this region and Europe, while the caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov reassured that “Support for Ukraine will remain the focus of the caretaker government’s defence policy.”

Meanwhile, the Bulgarian parliament is working on the largest package of military aid to Ukraine, including heavy military equipment worth more than $150 million, sources told Euractiv Bulgaria.

Zapryanov also announced on April 15 that Türkiye has already ratified the memorandum for establishing the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Group (MSM Black Sea), including Bulgaria and Romania.

The three countries are joining forces to ensure safe shipping on trade routes in the Black Sea. The Bulgarian defence minister said that the maritime group for combating mines between Bulgaria, Romania, and Türkiye already has a green light, and Bulgaria can start to implement this agreement practically.

The joint actions will have a good impact on shipping and tourism in the region, Zapryanov added.