Bulgaria's president has proposed a security forum of the six Black Sea countries to agree a moratorium on military action in the sea. Iliana Yotova made the proposal at a meeting with a delegation from the US National Defense University at Dondukov 2.

Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Georgia, Ukraine and Russia would take part.

The US guests are in Bulgaria on the Capstone training programme. They talked about global security, stronger ties between Bulgaria and the US, and closer cooperation on security and defence.

Yotova said the war that Russia began with its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 is no longer limited to Ukraine. In her view, attacks on ships in the Black Sea carry serious economic and financial risks. She said they also threaten Europe's energy security and food security in Asia and Africa.

After the attacks, Bulgaria called a meeting of its Consultative Council for National Security to decide what steps to take. Bulgaria has held a series of meetings and talks at different levels with partners in the EU and NATO, and separately with Romania and Turkey, to coordinate more closely.

The president said a war of attrition is no solution. She believes it can end only through diplomacy and peace talks, with Europe taking an active part. The EU must come up with firm proposals for peace in Ukraine, and for the security, stability and predictability of the Old Continent, she said.

"Without Europe, a lasting peace cannot be reached," Yotova said. She said the peace talks due in Abu Dhabi in a few days are a positive step.

There were more than 60 armed conflicts around the world in 2025, the most since the Second World War, the president said. "This is a terrible diagnosis for our countries and societies," Yotova said.

Yotova also set out the idea of a moratorium on fighting in the Black Sea in Burgas in October. Speaking then as a presidential candidate, she called on the six countries on the sea's shores to agree on it, in front of a full hall at the State Opera.

She expects Bulgaria's role in the region and across Europe to grow in the coming years. Yotova links this to the energy, digital and infrastructure corridors being built across the country.