European Parliament Criticises Radev's Government for Its Weak Response to Russia Following the Attacks in the Black Sea

The European Parliament has criticised the Bulgarian government for Sofia’s weak diplomatic response to Russia over the attacks in the Black Sea. MEPs today, October 22, voted in favour of a resolution strongly condemning deadly attacks off the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania, as well as repeated violations of Romanian airspace. The resolution, adopted by 432 votes to 52, with 88 abstentions, states that Parliament holds Russia responsible for the attacks on civilian vessels and for the escalation of its aggressive war against Ukraine in the western Black Sea.

• MEPs: Security in the Black Sea cannot be safeguarded by declarations alone—urgent measures and funding are needed

MEPs commend the swift efforts of the Romanian and Bulgarian maritime rescue services, border police and passing merchant vessels in assisting the ships involved. However, they also express concern over the Bulgarian government’s unclear response to the Russian threat. In their view, Sofia’s diplomatic response to Russia has been weak. They call on Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev to “combine calls for allied solidarity with concrete action”.

The European Parliament regrets Bulgaria’s delayed participation in NATO’s initiative to counter drones and urges the Bulgarian government not to delay any further, but to formally confirm its participation by 30 October 2026.

In response to the latest deadly attacks, MEPs say the EU and its member states should consider deploying an EU naval operation in the Black Sea. They stress that freedom of navigation and maritime security are integral to the security of NATO’s eastern flank, the Black Sea region and the Danube Delta. MEPs also call on NATO to consider a Black Sea initiative, building on discussions about the Black Sea Sentry initiative, and underline the importance of closer regional cooperation between Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey.

The resolution also calls on EU member states, in cooperation with NATO, to support Bulgaria and Romania in the early detection and tracking of hostile drones threatening shipping in the Black Sea. It further urges the EU to swiftly implement the initiative to establish a European Black Sea Security Hub, which aims to strengthen maritime safety and security and protect critical maritime infrastructure and the marine environment.

MEPs also call for unspent EU funds under the SAFE instrument to be used to help Romania and Bulgaria address these challenges. They stress that the EU’s future long-term budget must address a broad range of security and defence needs, including those of the Black Sea region.

• Rumen Radev: U.S. Aircraft Patrols the Black Sea for Reconnaissance and Risk Detection

In addition, they call on the EU and its member states to strengthen the protection and resilience of existing undersea telecommunications, electricity transmission and data cable projects through enhanced maritime surveillance, regional cooperation and rapid-response mechanisms.