The attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea have prompted Bulgaria and Romania to take joint action at European level and within NATO

The Bulgarian National Radio, 15 October 2026

Summary

On 15 October 2026, on the programme “Before Noon” on the “Horizon” channel (BNR), presenter Irina Nedeva spoke with journalist Vladimir Mitev about the escalation of tensions in the Black Sea following a series of drone attacks on merchant ships off the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania.

Key points from the conversation:

• Joint diplomatic initiative: The growing threat to shipping and the exclusive economic zones of both countries has prompted Sofia and Bucharest to coordinate swiftly. Bulgarian and Romanian government leaders discussed joint action and a proposal for a moratorium on attacks against merchant ships, which was raised at the EU Summit in Brussels and with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
• Economic and regional risks: Romania is directly affected by the incidents due to the key importance of the port of Constanța and the Danube routes for the transit of goods and grain. The escalation threatens regional trade and the insurance sector, necessitating the adoption of de-escalation measures.
• Warming of relations between Sofia and Bucharest: The common threat is helping to overcome the initial cooling of relations and scepticism associated with Prime Minister Rumen Radev. Bulgaria’s foreign policy moves (including high-level meetings and publicly identifying Russia as a source of risk) are seen as a sign of closer cooperation.
• The domestic political situation in Romania: Although the country is going through a period of political transition, the forthcoming formation of a regular technocratic government led by Luca Nicolescu is expected to make Bucharest’s response more dynamic and decisive.
• The broader regional context: Turkey’s role also remains crucial to ensuring security in the Black Sea and on NATO’s eastern flank.

Video with auto-generated English-language subtitles

Introduction (to the Bridge of Friendship)

On 15 October 2026, presenter Irina Nedeva from the programme ‘Horizon’ on Bulgarian National Radio interviewed Vladimir Mitev regarding the dynamic regional and international situation following the two successive waves of attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea on 6 and 13 October 2026, which are believed to have been carried out by Russia. The overall threat to shipping in the territorial waters and exclusive economic zones of Bulgaria and Romania prompted urgent action from the governments in Sofia and Bucharest. The prime ministers of the two countries – Rumen Radev and Ilie Bolojan – as well as their presidents – Iliana Yotova and Nicușor Dan – held this week phone talks on joint initiatives at the European Council Summit in Brussels (15–16 October 2026). Whilst in the Belgian capital, Rumen Radev and Nicușor Dan also discussed the situation with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte during this period, which led to the forthcoming convening of the North Atlantic Council.

In this context, Vladimir Mitev commented on the growing coordination at EU and NATO level, as well as the closer ties between Bulgaria and Romania in response to the threat they both face.

Interview (on Bulgarian National Radio)

Irina Nedeva:

The issue of the Black Sea is also on the agenda for the Summit. As we heard on the news, Prime Minister Radev spoke about the joint initiative with Romania for a moratorium on attacks in the Black Sea. This follows drone attacks on merchant ships off the coast of Bulgaria last night, whilst Romania woke up to similar reports – in this case involving tankers. Bulgaria and Romania are already discussing joint action at the level of European forces within NATO. But what does this mean in practice, and how does Bucharest perceive the threat whilst it is itself in the midst of a political crisis?

I say ‘Good afternoon’ to the journalist Vladimir Mitev. Can you hear me? He is a colleague from Radio Bulgaria, founder of the blog ‘The Bridge of Friendship’, which tracks relations between Bulgaria and Romania, as well as reactions in Romania at the political level and the tone in the media.

Firstly – in brief: what do we know about the tankers and what is the current mood in Romania?

Vladimir Mitev:

Last night, the Romanian authorities reported receiving a report of a fire on board the tanker ‘Yara J’, which was carrying chemicals and petroleum products.

The crew has been evacuated and the seafarers are safe. Today, however, there has been another incident involving a ship on which a fire also broke out. In this case, there were 12 people on board – 8 of them are still missing, whilst 4 have been rescued.

These incidents are part of an escalation that has been ongoing for about ten days now and, in my view, is leading to changes in our region and in our relations. We can see that Bulgaria and Romania will cooperate more closely on a moratorium on attacks against merchant ships in the Black Sea, for which we also have European support. Perhaps we will discuss this in the next set of questions.

Irina Nedeva:

Vladimir, I would like to ask: how are the Romanian media reporting on the incidents involving these merchant ships in the immediate vicinity of Bulgarian territorial waters? Has this been covered in the media? Is a connection being drawn between Bulgarian and Romanian territorial waters? And above all – how are the events being portrayed: as a direct threat to Romania’s national security, as a consequence of the war in Ukraine, or as yet another instance in which the war is drawing closer to NATO?

Vladimir Mitev:

I think Romania has a strong interest in maintaining commercial shipping in the Black Sea and at the mouth of the Danube, so these incidents are quite alarming and are attracting attention. Even if they seem to take a back seat against the backdrop of other events, this is due to the political crisis, which we nevertheless expect to be resolved soon.

In fact, Romania takes pride in the fact that Constanța is a major Black Sea port and that Ukraine has exported around 60 per cent of its grain harvest via Romanian ports – both Constanța and those on the Danube. Romania also makes active use of shipping on the Danube. All these reasons show that it has a much greater interest than other countries in the region in ensuring that there is peace here and that international law is respected with regard to commercial shipping.

Irina Nedeva:

Has there been a shift in the political tone in Bucharest in response to the signals coming from Bulgaria? It seemed there was a difference in the reaction to the drone threat between our northern neighbour and our country until the most recent incident. For the first time, Radev began to mention Russia by name after 13 October – that is, two days ago.

Vladimir Mitev:

Yes, I think there has been such a change. During the first few months of Radev’s presidency, there was a certain coolness in the Romanian media – it was clear that he was more interested in relations with Turkey in the region than with Romania.

The labels that were being pinned on him did not exactly inspire much sympathy in Bucharest either.

Irina Nedeva:

Which labels do you mean?

Vladimir Mitev:

That he has an eastern orientation – not only towards Russia, but also that he is making attempts to develop relations with China. In my view, however, there has been a shift here too. The new level of escalation, triggered by the conflict in the Black Sea, has led to a situation where the threat is shared – by Bulgaria, Romania and the countries whose ships sail the waters. This calls for a reassessment of relations.

Last but not least, we see that both France and Germany support the idea of a moratorium on attacks against merchant ships. Our Foreign Minister met with his German counterpart this week and received such support. Of course, he added that concessions only embolden Putin and that a firm stance is needed, but clearly, in addition to firmness, a way to reduce tensions is also required. As economic interests are severely affected, there is a risk that shipping could come to a complete standstill, which in turn would lead to a rise in insurance premiums.

Irina Nedeva:

Yes, of course – and food supply chains would be disrupted too. You say there has been a change in attitudes towards Bulgaria and towards the Bulgarian Prime Minister Radev since 13 October, after Bulgaria…

Vladimir Mitev:

Yes, I’d like to give another example, if there’s time. The visit to Sofia by the senior Ukrainian representative Kirilo Budanov also provoked interesting reactions amongst foreign policy experts in Romania with whom I’m in contact. I asked them how this was viewed from Bucharest – their comment was that consultations were taking place with Sofia. In other words, the role that Radev appears to be playing was viewed positively, and the nature of that role will likely become clearer in the future.

Irina Nedeva:

Yes, because in fact we do not have much information about the meeting between Kirilo Budanov and the Bulgarian authorities. In conclusion: Romania finds itself in a rather complex political situation – there is an acting Prime Minister, with whom Radev is holding talks, and the next one is due to take office literally in the next few days, is that not so? Is there a risk that this political crisis in Romania might weaken the response and, above all, the joint position of Bulgaria and Romania, which is to be presented in Brussels?

Vladimir Mitev:

Personally, I expect the formation of a regular government in Romania to make Bucharest’s response more dynamic and even more decisive. In recent months, there has been a sense of a certain interregnum and a divergence in views regarding the direction the country should take. We expect the prime ministerial nominee, Luca Niculescu, to secure a majority in parliament, as he has secured the support of both the Social Democratic Party (which will have 11 ministers in his cabinet) and the National Liberal Party and The Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, which have stated they will back him without joining the government.

This will be a technocratic government – the key ministries will not be filled by party appointees. It appears that a formula is being sought to accommodate the various centres of power in Romania, including the presidency. In my view, Romania can no longer afford to procrastinate, as this very escalation shows that the period of indecision is coming to an end.

And let me reiterate – cooperation is not limited solely to talks between Bulgaria and Romania. Turkey’s role in what lies ahead is also extremely important, as it is also a member of NATO.

Irina Nedeva:

Let us leave room to understand what its role will be. Thank you to Vladimir Mitev. Merchant ships in the Black Sea are an important part not only of the region’s economy but also of its security – a real test for NATO’s eastern flank.

Photo: (source: The Bridge of Friendship, via Gemini)

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