A bipartisan group of US senators introduced a bill to Congress on strengthening security in the Black Sea region starting this year in the context of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The document states that “it is in the interest of the United States to support efforts to prevent the spread of further armed conflicts in Europe by recognizing the Black Sea as an arena of Russian aggression.”

“The states on the coast of the Black Sea are of crucial importance in countering the aggression of the government of the Russian Federation and contributing to the collective security of NATO,” the American senators also note in the legislative project.

They emphasize that the United States must continue to work with NATO allies to develop a long-term strategy to increase the alliance’s presence on its eastern flank and strengthen the resilience of allies and partners in the region.

US senators also say the US should also work with the European Union to coordinate a strategy to support democratic initiatives and economic prosperity in the region, which they say includes two EU member states and four countries seeking to join the bloc.

The document refers to Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, the Republic. Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia, which are located in the Black Sea.

The European Commission proposed that Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova become candidates for EU membership a few months after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while Turkey has been a candidate country for years.

However, US senators note that Turkey has behaved counterproductively towards some of its allies and democracies in the region, causing tensions. “Turkey should avoid any actions that contribute to the further escalation of regional tensions,” the document emphasizes.

Measures proposed by American senators for the Black Sea region

As for strengthening security in the region, the document provides for the development of a strategy to strengthen the coordination of American agencies regarding the situation in the region, as well as a strategy “to increase assistance to the states of the Black Sea region in the field of security, with an emphasis on Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Georgia.”

American senators also suggest giving priority to intelligence-gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance systems to monitor Russia’s operations in the Black Sea region, as well as conducting an analysis of the feasibility of creating a command center there that would be responsible for coordinating all of Russia’s military activities. NATO and partner countries.

The document also calls for an analysis of the “challenges and opportunities of establishing a regular rotational NATO maritime presence in the Black Sea.” In this sense, American senators also want a plan that will promote greater freedom of navigation for security and increased economic access to the Black Sea.

Another plan outlined in the draft law aims to “combat Russian disinformation and propaganda in the Black Sea using United States government resources,” as well as a strategy to “strengthen independent media and U.S.-backed media initiatives to counter malign foreign influence in Black Sea Region”.

On the economic level, the bill submitted to the US Senate calls for an assessment of energy diversification in the region, “with an emphasis on the immediate need to replace energy supplies from Russia.”

Essentially, the bill calls for an interagency strategy to increase U.S. military assistance and coordination with NATO and the EU in the Black Sea region, setting a 180-day deadline for the development of appropriate plans from the moment the law is passed.

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