Romanian and Bulgarian premiers discuss joint response to Black Sea commercial ship attacks

In a telephone conversation, Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev addressed the deteriorating security situation in the Black Sea, focusing on recent drone attacks against merchant ships. Both premiers denounced the assaults as unacceptable breaches of maritime and international law, attributing them to Russia's aggression against Ukraine. They pledged to deepen coordination between their countries and to work with Turkey to bolster regional maritime defenses. The discussion referenced several recent incidents: the Turkish tanker Royad Mammadov was hit near Petrom's "Pescăruș" platform, killing two crew members and injuring eleven; the Maltese-flagged CHELSEA 3, owned by Ukrainians, was struck by three drones east of Byala, injuring six sailors; and another vessel sank after an attack near Krapets, with survivor numbers still unclear.