Johan Wadephul: Black Sea is increasingly becoming a war zone, we must prevent escalation
Wadephul urged Moscow to agree a ceasefire covering goods transport and called for continued economic pressure on Russia after attacks near Bulgaria.
German Foreign Minister Johan Wadephul warned that the Black Sea is increasingly turning into a war zone, after heavy attacks on civilian vessels close to the Bulgarian coast.
At a meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart Velislava Petrova-Chamova, Wadephul said the risk of wider escalation must be averted immediately.
Appeal for protections on maritime trade
Wadephul urged Moscow to agree to a ceasefire that would cover the transport of goods, with special emphasis on grain shipments, and said Europe must keep up economic pressure on Russia as part of defending its security.
“We must not simply allow this escalation, this aggression by Russia to happen. We are literally all in the same boat, we are all targets,” Wadephul said at the meeting with his Bulgarian colleague.
Petrova-Chamova stressed that Black Sea security is inseparable from the security of Europe and said, “Bulgaria is working with its partners to put an end to attacks on commercial vessels.”
Wadephul also warned against providing what he called “gifts” to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that such gestures only encourage Putin’s policies and that “Only a strong stance creates readiness for dialogue.” His remarks came after an agreement for shipments of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of diesel from Russia, a deal that has drawn sharp criticism from European allies and in the United States.
Photo: press material from the event
