A Russian missile strike on a civilian ship transporting Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea has drawn sharp condemnation from NATO and raised concerns in Romania about the status of shipping on the Black Sea.
NATO spokeswoman Farah Dakhlallah expressed the alliance’s reaction on September 13, just over a day after the missile struck the vessel.
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"There is no justification for such attacks. Yesterday's strike shows once again the reckless nature of Russia's war," Dakhlallah said, speaking in Brussels.
Romanian authorities said the ship was in the maritime economic zone of Romania, a NATO member, when it was hit at around 11 p.m. local time on September 11. The vessel was transporting grain from Chernomorsk, Ukraine, to Istanbul when it was struck, the Coast Guard said in a news release.
Ukrainian officials said the ship's cargo was bound for Egypt.
Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar spoke by phone with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, on the security situation in the Black Sea area after the attack.
Tilvar reiterated Bucharest’s “firm condemnation of the unjustified attacks” by Russia against civilian port infrastructure on the Danube near the border with Romania, the Romanian Defense Ministry quoted him as saying.
"Unfortunately, as a result of the aggressive actions of the Russian Federation, the Black Sea is no longer an area of cooperation, but a theater of war,” Tilvar said, according to a ministry statement on September 12.
He added that Romania “condemns in the strongest terms the Russian aggression against the Ukrainian people, unprovoked and illegal, especially the attacks on the Ukrainian population and civil infrastructure.”
Tilvar and Umerov also discussed Romania’s effort to support Ukraine’s military and the coordination of multinational assistance projects.
Umerov called the discussion "fruitful,” saying the main topic was air defense against Russian missiles and drones.
"Ukraine will soon receive a new Patriot air-defense system from our Romanian partners. There will also be more F-16s in Ukrainian skies. A group of pilots are already being trained in Romania," he added.
Separately, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Romanian Foreign Minister Luminița Odobescu to discuss Romania’s donation of Patriot missile system to Ukraine.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement that Blinken thanked Odobescu for fulfilling Romania's commitment and for its “continued leadership in the defense of regional security.”