Washington is preparing a strategy for the Black Sea region. This is a continuation of the Black Sea Security Act of 2023 and part of the US defence budget, Bulgarian Ambassador to the United States Georgi Panayotov told BNR. In his words, this shows the importance of the region to Washington. 

"This will not be a public document. It is about a stronger commitment of the United States to all Black Sea littoral states in the areas of energy security, infrastructure, trade and investment, support for strengthening democratic institutions, fighting corruption. The importance of the Black Sea region is growing. The assessment of the US, of NATO, is that if Ukraine is defeated, it will be the end of the security system as we know it," Panayotov said. He stressed that Bulgaria should invest in defence and modernise its own armed forces.