European Union offers cash for Black Sea security after attacks on shipping

The European Union will help finance some Black Sea security costs after attacks on commercial shipping. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made the announcement on Monday at the start of her visit to Romania.

Von der Leyen said threats, attacks and incursions are rising off the coasts of the Black Sea. In response, she said the bloc will fast track the work on the Black Sea Maritime Security Hub, with a clear timeline for completion and dedicated funding of 50 million euros.

She also announced an additional 10 million euros in EU cash for Romania's search-and-rescue operations. The sums are tiny compared to the 16.7 billion euros Romania is getting under the EU's SAFE arms loans programme.

The hub, announced last year, is a joint control centre to be run by Romania and Bulgaria and is expected to be fully operational by the end of the year.

It aims to monitor maritime activity in real time and safeguard vital infrastructure such as undersea power and communication cables. It would offer both countries a unified view of the sea and sky, helping them detect threats before they strike.

Monday's announcement follows weeks of mounting violence on the Black Sea. Since early October, at least nine ships have been struck in the exclusive economic zones of NATO and EU members Romania and Bulgaria; four were sunk, and 34 sailors are dead or missing.

Other ships have been hit off Russia's shores. Romania has blamed Russia, while Bulgaria has stopped short. Both countries raised the issue at last month's meeting of EU leaders and are pressing for more security support. Von der Leyen is set to visit Varna, on Bulgaria's coast, on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the United States is steering talks on a Black Sea ceasefire and an agreement on safe passage. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is reviewing proposals from Turkey forwarded in late October and is open to ideas from India.

Rubio said an agreement would not end the conflict, but it would solve a unique aspect of it by easing the spillover on food security for vulnerable nations.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on October 21 that the bloc is working with Turkey, India and food-importing countries in Africa and other regions on a freedom-of-navigation deal. She added that Ukraine has agreed to such an arrangement, but Russia has rejected it.

Von der Leyen said the EU backs Ukraine's call for a Black Sea ceasefire, referring to the peace talks taking place in Abu Dhabi tomorrow with European presence.

The Black Sea matters to both sides in the war. The ports of Ukraine's Greater Odesa region are main channels for its exports, including steel, iron ore and grain, and they bring in billions of dollars. Several ships hit in EU waters were carrying Ukrainian grain.

Most of Russia's grain exports also leave through Black Sea ports such as Novorossiysk, a major oil export hub, along with Tuapse. Near Novorossiysk, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal, partly owned by US oil giants Chevron and Exxon, handles about 80 percent of Kazakhstan's crude exports.

Turkey has suffered the most ship attacks, and tankers headed for Georgia have also come under fire.

Asked whether he foresaw a possible breakthrough this week, Ukraine's Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi was pessimistic. He said Kyiv is preparing to keep its farmers operating without access to the deep-water Black Sea ports for the long term.