Romania and Bulgaria fear US-Russia deal on Black Sea - FT
Photo: US-Russia Black Sea Agreement (Getty Images)
Romania and Bulgaria are concerned about possible changes in the Black Sea due to the US-Russia talks. They fear it will expand Moscow's influence in the region, according to Financial Times.
EU littoral states Romania and Bulgaria are concerned about possible changes to the Black Sea status quo as part of a potential agreement between Russia and the United States.
Officials in the region fear that this would expand the Russian navy's area of operations.
Ukraine was able to push Russian warships out of the western part of the Black Sea, which was one of its key achievements during the war. Therefore, any agreements could give Moscow an advantage and affect the security of neighboring countries, officials say.
"This is our neighbourhood and we don’t trust the Russians if they are allowed more freedom to operate," said one of the EU officials.
The talks between the US and Russia in Saudi Arabia have been called technical because they involve mid-level officials, not high-ranking politicians.
At the same time, Trump's chief representative in relations with Russia, Steve Witkoff, said he expects real progress on the ceasefire in the Black Sea.
US-Russia talks
On Monday, March 24, representatives of the United States and Russia began another round of talks.
A member of the Russian delegation, Grigory Karasin, said that the discussion is “creative” and touches on “topical issues.” According to him, Moscow and Washington “manage to maintain contact.”
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the key topic of the talks will be the so-called Black Sea initiative concerning the safety of navigation in the Black Sea.
He also added that Vladimir Putin will receive operational reports in the course of the consultations and then hold an international telephone conversation.
