Ukrainian and Romanian defense ministers discuss demining of the Black Sea

The Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov, had a telephone conversation with the Romanian Minister of National Defense, Angel Tîlvăr.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported that.

" I have informed my colleague about the situation at the front. I am grateful to Romania for its steadfast support, particularly for the decision to participate in the F-16 pilot training program," said Rustem Umerov.

The parties discussed regional security and the initiative of Romania, Bulgaria, and Türkiye on demining the Black Sea – MCM Black Sea.

"We expect strengthening of defense cooperation between our countries. We also agreed to exchange visits to strengthen our dialogue," the Minister of Defense added.

It should be noted that plans to create a mine clearance coalition became known as early as December 2023. At that time, foreign publications wrote that the mission was planned as entirely "peaceful" and did not involve deploying any new NATO ships to sea. Among the initiative's goals is to show that the three countries can solve problems independently.

Also, as reported by Rubryka, Bulgaria, Romania, and Türkiye want to involve other countries of the North Atlantic Alliance in demining the Black Sea.

The countries plan to create a joint fleet dealing with mine clearance in parts of the Black Sea near Türkiye, Romania, and Bulgaria. Explosive munitions are getting there because of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

They note that the initiative remains open for joint actions and participation of mine countermeasures forces and means of other NATO member countries located outside the Black Sea region. The mission will begin soon after the signing of the agreement. Thus, the anti-mine group will create safe conditions for the navigation of civilian ships in the Black Sea, minimizing the risk of explosions.

As stated by the Ukrainian Navy's spokesman, Dmytro Pletenchuk, it is essential to recognize that the worldwide demining effort could potentially continue for multiple years due to the discovery of weapons from both the First and Second World Wars.

Demining trade routes will last three to five months. After all, this is very painstaking work that requires special trawlers and equipment, and it will be difficult for Ukraine to carry out this operation.

The defense ministers of Türkiye, Bulgaria, and Romania signed an agreement to jointly combat sea mines that pose a threat to shipping in the Black Sea after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.