A bipartisan group of US senators from the Republican and Democratic parties has introduced a draft law on security in the Black Sea region in 2023.

As Oksana Markarova, Ambassador of Ukraine to the US, reports, the bill introduced in the Senate emphasises the importance of the Black Sea region for US national security, European and global security, especially against the backdrop of Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine.

The bill was first introduced on 12 July 2022. Its provisions are retained in this year's draft.

The document envisages a more active and decisive US foreign policy towards the Black Sea region, including enhanced coordination between the US, NATO and the EU, as well as strengthening economic ties between the US and the Black Sea states (in particular, it mentions support for the Three Seas Initiative).

The draft law requires that an interagency strategy be submitted 180 days after its adoption to increase US military assistance and coordination with NATO and the EU, deepen economic ties, strengthen democracy and economic security, and enhance security assistance with countries in the region.

It will include, among other things, increased security assistance to Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Georgia; prioritisation of intelligence systems for Russian operations in the region; the possibility of creating a joint multinational headquarters responsible for planning exercises and coordinating all military activities of US allies and partners in the Black Sea; and intensification of the fight against Russian disinformation and propaganda, etc.

Earlier, CNN reported that due to the incident in the Black Sea in early March, the US decided to send reconnaissance drones further away from temporarily occupied Crimea, which limited their ability to gather intelligence.

On 14 March, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet damaged a US MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance and strike UAV over the Black Sea during an interception, forcing the drone to be sunk.

The White House called Russia's actions "dangerous, unprofessional, and reckless". Later, the US released video evidence that the Su-27's collision with the American drone was intentional.