Statement by the HR/VP on the escalation of Russian strikes in the EU, particularly on Black Sea shipping, threatening human life, regional stability and food security

Honourable Members,

Russia is not winning on the battlefield in Ukraine. 

Instead, Putin is blatantly targeting civilians and stepping up hybrid attacks in the rest of Europe. The escalation in attacks in the Black Sea deserve specific attention, so thank you setting up this debate.

On Saturday, Romanian F-16 fighter jets shot down two drones over Romanian territorial waters. If the drones hadn’t been intercepted, they could have hit potential targets, caused more destruction and killed more people on European soil.

Six attacks in 10 days by suspected Russian drones marks a dangerous and unacceptable escalation in the Black Sea. Rescuers are still searching for the seven sailors missing after the drone attack on two tankers near Romania’s Black Sea ⁠coast.

Since mid-July, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine’s export routes. 

Ukraine is losing an estimated 60 million euro a day in export revenues. 

Ukraine is one of the world’s most important agricultural exporters. 

It supplies:

• 15% of global maize exports, 
• 10% of wheat, 
• 15–20% of barley, and 
• 50% of global sunflower oil exports. 

Around 90% of these goods move through the Black Sea corridor. It is the single most important route for Ukrainian grain to reach international markets. 

Russia is attacking:

• Ukraine’s agricultural infrastructure;
• Black Sea and Danube ports;
• Border crossing points;
• Export facilities;
• Vessels;
• Shipping lanes;
• And destroying grain storage facilities. 

As Member States underlined at the European Council last week, Russia is intentionally weaponizing food and undermining global food security, in particular in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. 

To avoid further deterioration of the situation, the European Council calls for the immediate restoration of safe passage for civilian shipping, merchant and commercial vessels in the Black Sea.

Global grain prices are now at their highest level since February 2023.

Global grain stockpiles are larger than in 2022, when Russia blockaded twenty million tonnes of Ukrainian grain. But the global food system is now facing a perfect storm:

• A Super El Niño
• Drought in both hemispheres 
• And conflict in the Middle East straining fertilizer exports.

There are now three choke points: Hormuz, Bab al-Mandab and the Black Sea.

Russia’s actions make it harder to put food on people’s plates across the world.

It requires a strong and united European response on three fronts. 

First, we work to keep Ukraine connected to global markets and protect food security. 

The EU–Ukraine Solidarity Lanes initiative is helping to find alternative routes. Since July, grain exports through the Solidarity Lanes rose by almost two million tonnes. 

However, Russia is now also targeting border crossings with Moldova and Romania and Poland, which puts the alternative routes at risk too. 

That is also why we have to strengthen security along the Black Sea and Danube. That’s my second point.

Early detection and real-time information sharing is key. 

Through the European Defence Agency’s MARSUR network, Member States can exchange maritime surveillance information and improve their shared maritime situational awareness. 

The Black Sea Maritime Security Hub, which Romania and Bulgaria are jointly establishing with EU support, will strengthen situational awareness further.

We also need faster collective decision-making when serious incidents occur. 

That is the purpose of the proposed Emergency Protocol, meaning immediate political consultations, and better coordination in major hybrid crises, including coordination with NATO.

Europe also needs better capabilities to counter air and maritime threats. 

We are advancing joint capability development and procurement, including through the Drone Capability Coalition. 

And the Eastern Flank Watch supports stronger surveillance and defence from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, in close coordination with NATO. 

The Black Sea is also full of mines. Through the European Defence Agency, Member States are already cooperating on next-generation maritime mine countermeasures as well as unmanned maritime systems. 

And the third point, we keep working on the diplomatic front to increase international pressure.

At the UN General Assembly, 51 countries came together to condemn Russia and call for Black Sea passage. 

We are now working with international partners, with Türkiye, India and others, including food-importing countries in Africa and more broadly the Global South, to push for a freedom of navigation arrangement in the Black Sea.

A Black Sea arrangement would protect lives and vital supplies. Ukraine has proposed it. Russia has rejected it. 

This is why, again, diplomatic engagement must go hand in hand with sustained pressure on Moscow and support for Ukraine.

Thank you.

Closing remarks

Thank you, dear Members, for this very, very good debate. I will just react on some of the issues.

Yes, it is true that Russia is weaponizing food security. Food security, mostly, all the food that is going, the grain that is going via the Black Sea from Ukraine. I was giving you the numbers of the grain and barley that is going to African countries, and one plea that I have also for you is to do the outreach to the African countries so that they would also you try to influence this, to have this Black Sea security arrangement because it's clearly affecting them. Yes, it is also true that the other part of food security is also related to cyber resilience. And we heard the MEP from the Netherlands pointing out how the cyber attacks can actually affect all of our food security, but of course this is a question for another debate. 

Now coming to this debate, I heard very many members of the Parliament saying that we don't have a plan, we don't want peace. That is not true. Ukraine wants peace more than anybody because they have been under bombardment for already four years now, and the fifth year is going on. So they really want peace, and Europe wants peace. It is not right to say that we don't want peace. The only one who doesn't want peace is Russia. Let's be very clear-eyed about this. 

I heard also accusations from members of this house saying that we don't have a peace strategy. That is also not true. In February already, I presented to the Foreign Ministers, a really maximalist plan for how to enter into these peace talks. Because if Russia is presenting their maximalist demands and requests, we should put our maximum demands on the table to balance these negotiations, and also to send a clear message to Russia that for all of those things that they are interested in – lifting sanctions – Europe needs to be around that table because they are European decisions. And that is why, Although American negotiators have been trying to push Ukraine into surrender for already almost two years, one and a half years now, why Ukraine hasn't surrendered on Putin's terms is because Europe has been supporting Ukraine. And we don't have a choice. We don't have a choice. But we have to be very, very clear that we are saying that we also have requests for Russia. We are not giving these things up for free because it is not only peace that could be there, but it's also that this peace is long-lasting and just. We have seen ceasefires before. I mean, in last 100 years, Russia has attacked so many countries, some as many as three or four times. So we have to make sure they will not do this again. 

Now sanctions. Sanctions work because Russia wants to lift them. And also they have deprived Russia for 1 trillion euro, and this is not the money that is going into the Russia war coffers.

Those members who said that they have a nuclear weapon so we should give them what they want, but if we say that then everybody is under threat, everybody wants to have a nuclear weapon because by threatening to use this you will get what you want. And this is a much, much more dangerous world.

Ukraine agreed to an energy ceasefire. Ukraine agreed to a Black Sea arrangement. Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire, already one and a half years ago. Who hasn't agreed is Russia, and that's why we really need to put more pressure on Russia and to be very firm that we also have requests, and these things are not coming for free.