Rebuild Ukraine Forum 2026 / Panel XIIa / 23 October 2026

The discussions centered on the energy dimension of Black Sea cooperation, supply security, major oil and gas projects and the protection of critical underwater infrastructure. Opening the panel, Adrian Măniuțiu pointed out that the Black Sea has everything it needs except the primary commodity demanded by markets: security. Ambassador Tacan İldem highlighted that Türkiye aims to double its natural gas extraction to 20 billion cubic meters, while Romania is set to become the largest natural gas producer in the European Union. He referenced the memorandum signed in Ankara last July to protect underwater infrastructure and stressed the need for long-term strategic roadmaps and close cooperation among the three NATO Black Sea littoral states: Türkiye, Romania and Bulgaria.

Providing the Ukrainian perspective, Denys Kudin recalled that Naftogaz discovered the first Black Sea gas fields near Crimea before Russia’s 2014 invasion, subsequently winning international arbitrations against Russia over the seizure of those assets. He underscored the significant potential of shallow and deep-water projects, such as Skifska, adjacent to Neptun Deep, which can strengthen Europe’s energy autonomy, alongside Ukraine’s strategic role in the Vertical Gas Corridor and its fully operational, well-protected underground storage capacity of 30 billion cubic meters. Daniel Apostol noted that the Sakarya and Neptun Deep fields will reshape regional supply, with Neptun Deep representing a €4 billion investment and delivering its first 5 billion cubic meters starting next year, and emphasized the need for shared asset protection, unmanned systems, joint command frameworks and robust cybersecurity.

Laurențiu Pachiu argued that while cooperation frameworks and regional projects exist, including through the Three Seas Initiative and EU funding, institutional capacity and financing must be strengthened, citing past political delays that slowed projects like Neptun Deep in Romania. Ambassador İldem stressed the importance of inclusive planning, with the EU consulting regional partners such as Türkiye and Ukraine on underwater cable initiatives, and advocated pragmatic bilateral cooperation given the limits the Montreux Convention places on permanent naval deployments. In conclusion, the panel agreed that by 2030 Romania, Türkiye and Ukraine could become net exporters of natural gas, turning the Black Sea into the “North Sea” of Southeastern Europe.