We cannot talk about security in the Black Sea region without discussing security in Ukraine and Moldova. This is what Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Milkov said at the First Conference on the Security of the Black Sea Region under the auspices of the Crimean International Platform in Bucharest, as quoted by BTA. "The Black Sea region has become essential in the strategic race between Russia and the West, and the war in Ukraine has created a whole new security environment. The aggression is not only against Ukraine, but also against the security and stability of the continent," Milkov said. He shared the need for a collective approach and expressed hope that decisive steps will be taken in this direction at the NATO summit in Vilnius, which is due in July.