European Commission urges urgent launch of the Black Sea Maritime Security Hub

A call for urgent action in Bucharest

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at a joint briefing with Romanian President Nicușor Dan in Bucharest on Monday, called for the Black Sea Maritime Security Hub — being established with the participation of Romania, Bulgaria and Türkiye — to urgently move to practical operation. She welcomed the three countries' 'closer maritime cooperation' and said the EU must act with 'a sense of urgency' on defence and security matters, Anadolu reports.

The situation in the Black Sea and aid for Romania

Explaining the urgency, von der Leyen noted that 'the sky over the Black Sea has darkened' in recent weeks: drone attacks on merchant vessels off the coast have killed seafarers, some of whom remain missing. She called for the freedom of navigation to be restored and preserved, stressing its importance for Europe, Ukraine's economy and global food security, and pointed to the need to strengthen maritime surveillance and the bloc's security in the information space — in her words, 'hostile actors' accompany drone incidents with manipulation and interference. A practical measure: the EU is allocating an additional €10 million ($11.2 million) to the Romanian authorities for search and rescue operations so they can respond to such incidents 'quickly and effectively.'

Support for the talks in Abu Dhabi

Turning to the upcoming US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, von der Leyen reaffirmed her support for Kyiv: according to her, President Volodymyr Zelensky asked for the support of European partners for the negotiations, and the bloc is providing it. She named the goal of the talks as ending the war, while in her view discussion of the European security architecture is possible only after a ceasefire and in an appropriate format — with NATO allies and EU members. The outlet notes that Moscow insists on a strictly trilateral format — Russia, Ukraine and the US — without Europe's direct participation. The talks are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday; this is the fourth round under the Trump administration and the first meetings since the February round in Geneva.