Panel XIIa was moderated by Mr. Ion Ioniță, Senior editor Adevărul, editor-in-chief, Historia, Defense Romania, joined by the following panelists: Mr. Matthew BOYSE, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute, former Deputy Assistant Secretary responsible for Central Europe at the State Department, USA, Admiral (Ret.) Ihor KABANENKO, former Deputy Minister of Defence, Ukraine, Vice Admiral Mihai PANAIT, Chief of Naval Forces, Romania, Rear Admiral Georgios FLOROS, Deputy Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff, Greece, Mr. James BERGERON, Political Advisor, NATO MARCOM, USA and Mr. Alexander SHAMRAY, Sales Director, Damen Naval Romania.

The accession of Romania and Bulgaria to NATO altered the strategic calculus in the Black Sea in a way that the Russian Federation never accepted. We are facing critical challenges in the Black Sea, mainly dealing with security and freedom of navigation. As the conventional balance of power has shifted in NATO’s favor, we can expect Russia to orient towards a more hybrid strategy, which can indeed cause damage to NATO allies.

One of the greatest threats present in the Black Sea in our area of responsibility is represented by drifting mines. Russian attacks on Ukrainian harbors such as Ismail and Reni through the use of drones are another threatening aspect. The ongoing war has a significant impact on major economic routes, and it may also affect future exploitation of natural resources in the exclusive economic zones of NATO member states.

A notable development is that Ukraine reopened its literal green corridor without Russia through its maritime actions. This corridor allowed Ukraine to export more grain than through the original green deal, reaching the pre-war export level. In cooperation with Romania, Ukraine seeks to increase the amount of grain exported through the Danube corridor to 4000 tons per month.