NATO’s Black Sea nations decry Ukraine war spillover endangering commercial ship traffic

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A Bulgarian Navy sailor assists the Mizar search-and-rescue tug, which is escorting four rescued sailors from the sunken merchant vessel HS Dignity to Varna port in Varna, Bulgaria, following drone attacks in the Black Sea, on Oct. 13, 2026. (Denislav Stoychev/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

IZMIR, Turkey — The Ministers of Defense of Bulgaria , Romania and Turkey have condemned attacks against commercial vessels in the Black Sea and call on all parties to refrain from any further actions that could endanger commercial vessels, maritime infrastructure and freedom of navigation in the Black Sea, according to the joint statement made after a meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Oct. 28.

The trilateral meeting on security in the Black Sea region was also attended by the Chiefs of Defense of Bulgaria and Turkey, Adm. Emil Eftimov and Gen. Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, and the Deputy Chief of Defense of Romania, Lt. Gen. Dragos Dimitru Iakub.

The meeting signals a coordinated approach by the three NATO littoral states to the growing risks to commercial shipping and maritime infrastructure arising from the Russia-Ukraine war.

The Financial Times reported based on data from maritime security company Ambrey and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that since the beginning of the year, more than 570 vessels have been hit in the Black Sea, killing at least 40 seafarers. By comparison, 24 deaths have been recorded in the Strait of Hormuz area for the same period.

The joint declaration highlights the Black Sea’s importance for global trade and the supply of grain fertilizers and recalls that all parties must comply with international law, including the Montreux Convention and applicable international humanitarian law, to ensure security in the Black Sea and preserve regional stability.

Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey also agreed to enhance information and intelligence sharing, improving maritime domain awareness and strengthening early warning to support security and stability in the Black Sea.

Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler stated after the meeting that Turkey will maintain its current implementation of the Montreux Convention.

“I believe that the united and resolute position we have demonstrated here today, in full coordination and solidarity with our friends and allies Bulgaria and Romania, is important in clearly reminding both warring parties that the security of commercial shipping routes in the Black Sea and the safety of littoral countries constitute inviolable red lines,” Güler said.

The Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov stated that the three Black Sea countries will continue active cooperation both in a trilateral format and within NATO, in close coordination with the member states and partners of the alliance.

As the ministerial meeting was convening in Sofia, the Bulgarian Navy reported that it has successfully conducted a rescue operation for the crew of the Liberian flag merchant ship Contship Jet after it was hit by an unmanned surface vessel. The ship was 17 miles east of Cape Kaliakra in Bulgaria and bound for the port of Constanta in Romania.

The three countries will continue consultations, with the next round scheduled to take place in Ankara and Bucharest.

Cem Devrim Yaylali is a Turkey correspondent for Defense News. He is a keen photographer of military ships and has a passion for writing about naval and defense issues. He was born in Paris, France, and resides in Istanbul, Turkey. He is married with one son.

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2026年10月13日，在黑海无人机袭击后沉没的商船“尊严号”（HS Dignity）上，一名保加利亚海军水兵协助“米扎尔号”（Mizar）搜救拖船护送四名获救船员前往保加利亚瓦尔纳港。（Denislav Stoychev/NurPhoto via Getty Images）

土耳其伊兹密尔——保加利亚、罗马尼亚和土耳其国防部长在10月28日于保加利亚索非亚举行的会议后发表联合声明，谴责针对黑海商船的袭击，并呼吁各方避免采取任何可能危及黑海商船、海上基础设施和航行自由的进一步行动。

保加利亚国防部长埃米尔·埃夫季莫夫海军上将、土耳其国防部长塞尔丘克·巴伊拉克塔罗格鲁将军以及罗马尼亚国防部副部长德拉戈斯·迪米特鲁·雅库布中将也出席了黑海地区安全三方会议。

此次会议标志着北约三个沿岸国家采取协调一致的措施，应对俄乌战争给商业航运和海上基础设施带来的日益增长的风险。

据《金融时报》援引海事安全公司Ambrey和国际海事组织（IMO）的数据报道，今年以来，黑海已有超过570艘船只遭到袭击，造成至少40名海员丧生。相比之下，同期霍尔木兹海峡地区仅记录到24起死亡事件。

该联合声明强调了黑海对全球贸易和粮食肥料供应的重要性，并重申各方必须遵守国际法，包括《蒙特勒公约》和适用的国际人道主义法，以确保黑海安全和维护区域稳定。

保加利亚、罗马尼亚和土耳其还同意加强信息和情报共享，提高海上态势感知能力，加强预警，以支持黑海的安全与稳定。

土耳其国防部长亚沙尔·居莱尔在会后表示，土耳其将继续执行《蒙特勒公约》。

“我相信，我们今天在这里展现出的团结和坚决的立场，与我们的朋友和盟友保加利亚和罗马尼亚充分协调和团结一致，对于明确提醒交战双方，黑海商业航运路线的安全和沿岸国家的安全是不可侵犯的红线，这一点非常重要，”居勒说。

保加利亚国防部长迪米塔尔·斯托亚诺夫表示，黑海三国将继续在三边框架内以及北约框架内开展积极合作，并与联盟成员国和伙伴国密切协调。

在索非亚召开部长级会议期间，保加利亚海军报告称，已成功营救了悬挂利比里亚国旗的商船“康特希普喷气号”（Contship Jet）的船员。该船此前遭到一艘无人水面舰艇的撞击。事发时，该船位于保加利亚卡利亚克拉角以东17英里处，目的地是罗马尼亚康斯坦察港。

三国将继续磋商，下一轮磋商计划在安卡拉和布加勒斯特举行。

杰姆·德夫里姆·亚伊拉利是《防务新闻》驻土耳其记者。他热衷于拍摄军舰，并对海军和国防议题充满热情。他出生于法国巴黎，现居土耳其伊斯坦布尔。他已婚，育有一子。