I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1680 
To provide for security in the Black Sea region, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 21, 2023 
Mr. KEATING (for himself and Mr. TURNER) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To provide for security in the Black Sea region, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Black Sea Security 
Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON BLACK SEA SECURITY. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) it is in the interest of the United States to 
support efforts to prevent the spread of further 
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armed conflict in Europe by recognizing the Black 
Sea region as an arena of Russian aggression; 
(2) littoral states of the Black Sea are critical 
in countering aggression by the Government of the 
Russian Federation and contributing to the collec-
tive security of NATO; 
(3) the repeated, illegal, unprovoked, and vio-
lent attempts of the Russian Federation to expand 
its territory and control access to the Mediterranean 
Sea through the Black Sea constitutes a threat to 
the national security of the United States and 
NATO; 
(4) the United States condemns attempts by 
the Russian Federation to change or alter bound-
aries in the Black Sea region by force or any means 
contrary to international law and to impose a sphere 
of influence across the region; 
(5) the United States and its allies should 
robustly counter Russia’s illegitimate territorial 
claims on the Crimean Peninsula, along Ukraine’s 
territorial waters in the Black Sea and the Sea of 
Azov, in the Black Sea’s international waters, and in 
the territories it is illegally occupying in Ukraine; 
(6) the United States should continue to work 
within NATO and with NATO Allies to develop a 
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long-term strategy to enhance security, establish a 
permanent, sustainable presence along NATO’s east-
ern flank, and bolster the democratic resilience of its 
allies and partners in the region; 
(7) the United States should work within 
NATO and with NATO Allies to develop a regular, 
rotational maritime presence in the Black Sea; 
(8) the United States should also work with the 
European Union on coordinating a strategy to sup-
port democratic initiatives and economic prosperity 
in the region, which includes two European Union 
members and four European Union aspirant nations; 
(9) Turkey’s behavior towards some regional al-
lies and democratic states has been counter-
productive and has contributed to increased tensions 
in the region, and Turkey should avoid any actions 
to further escalate regional tensions; 
(10) the United States should work to foster 
dialogue among countries within the Black Sea re-
gion to improve communication and intelligence 
sharing and increase cyber defense capabilities; 
(11) countries with historic and economic ties 
to Russia are looking to the United States and Eu-
rope to provide a positive economic presence in the 
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broader region as a counterbalance to the Russian 
Federation’s malign influence in the region; 
(12) it is in the interest of the United States 
to support and bolster the economic ties between the 
United States and Black Sea states; 
(13) the United States should support the ini-
tiative undertaken by central and eastern European 
states to advance the Three Seas Initiative Fund to 
strengthen transport, energy, and digital infrastruc-
ture connectivity in the region between the Adriatic 
Sea, Baltic Sea, and Black Sea; 
(14) there are mutually beneficial opportunities 
for increased investment and economic expansion, 
particularly on energy, climate, and transport infra-
structure initiatives, between the United States and 
Black Sea states and the broader region; 
(15) improved economic ties between the United 
States and the Black Sea states and the broader re-
gion can lead to a strengthened strategic partner-
ship; 
(16) the United States must seek to address 
the food security challenges arising from disruption 
of Ukraine’s Black Sea and Azov Sea ports, as this 
global challenge will have critical national security 
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implications for the United States, our partners, and 
allies; 
(17) Turkey, in coordination with the United 
Nations, has played an important role in alleviating 
global food insecurity by negotiating two agreements 
to allow grain exports from Ukrainian ports through 
a safe corridor in the Black Sea; 
(18) Russia has a brutal history of using hun-
ger as a weapon and must be stopped; 
(19) countering the PRC’s coercive economic 
pursuits remains an important policy imperative in 
order to further integrate the Black Sea states into 
western economies and improve regional stability; 
and 
(20) Turkey’s continued delay in ratifying Swe-
den and Finland’s accession to NATO undermines 
the strength of the alliance and inhibits the united 
international response to Russia’s unprovoked war in 
Ukraine. 
SEC. 3. UNITED STATES POLICY. 
It is the policy of the United States to— 
(1) actively deter the threat of Russia’s further 
escalation in the Black Sea region and defend free-
dom of navigation in the Black Sea to prevent the 
spread of further armed conflict in Europe; 
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(2) advocate within NATO, among NATO Al-
lies, and within the European Union to develop a 
long-term coordinated strategy to enhance security, 
establish a permanent, sustainable presence in the 
eastern flank, and bolster the democratic resilience 
of United States allies and partners in the region; 
(3) advocate within NATO and among NATO 
Allies to develop a regular, rotational maritime pres-
ence in the Black Sea; 
(4) support and bolster the economic ties be-
tween the United States and Black Sea partners and 
mobilize the Department of State, the Department 
of Defense, and other relevant Federal departments 
and agencies by enhancing the United States pres-
ence and investment in Black Sea states; 
(5) provide economic alternatives to the PRC’s 
coercive economic options that destabilize and fur-
ther erode economic integration of the Black Sea 
states; 
(6) ensure that the United States continues to 
support Black Sea states’ efforts to strengthen their 
democratic institutions to prevent corruption and ac-
celerate their advancement into the Euroatlantic 
community; and 
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(7) encourage the initiative undertaken by cen-
tral and eastern European states to advance the 
Three Seas Initiative to strengthen transport, en-
ergy, and digital infrastructure connectivity in the 
region between the Adriatic Sea, Baltic Sea, and 
Black Sea. 
SEC. 4. BLACK SEA SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT STRAT-
EGY. 
(a) BLACK
SEA
SECURITY
AND
DEVELOPMENT 
STRATEGY.—Not later than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the National Security Council, 
in coordination with the Department of State, the Depart-
ment of Defense, and other relevant Federal departments 
and agencies, is authorized to direct an interagency strat-
egy to increase coordination with NATO and the Euro-
pean Union, deepen economic ties, strengthen energy secu-
rity, support efforts to bolster their democratic resilience, 
and enhance security assistance with our regional partners 
in accordance with the values and interests of the United 
States. 
(b) PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES.—The initiative es-
tablished under subsection (a) shall have the following 
goals and objectives: 
(1) Ensuring the efficient and effective delivery 
of security assistance to regional partners in accord-
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ance with the values and interests of the United 
States, prioritizing assistance that will bolster de-
fenses against hybrid warfare and improve interoper-
ability with NATO forces. 
(2) Bolstering United States support for the re-
gion’s energy security and integration with Europe 
and reducing their dependence on Russia while sup-
porting energy diversification. 
(3) Mitigating the impact of economic coercion 
by the Russian Federation and the PRC on Black 
Sea states and identifying new opportunities for for-
eign direct investment from the United States and 
cooperating countries and the enhancement of 
United States business ties with regional partners in 
accordance with the values and interests of the 
United States. 
(4) Increasing high-level engagement between 
the United States and regional partners, and rein-
forcing economic growth, financing quality infra-
structure, and reinforcing trade with a focus on im-
proving high-level economic cooperation. 
(5) Increasing United States coordination with 
the European Union and NATO to maximize effec-
tiveness and minimize duplication. 
(c) ACTIVITIES.— 
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(1) SECURITY.—The strategy established under 
subsection (a) should include the following elements 
related to security: 
(A) A plan to increase interagency coordi-
nation on the Black Sea region. 
(B) An assessment of whether a United 
States-led initiative with NATO allies to in-
crease coordination, presence, and regional en-
gagement among Black Sea states is advisable. 
(C) A strategy to increase security assist-
ance toward Black Sea states, focused on 
Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and 
Georgia. 
(D) Prioritization of intelligence, surveil-
lance, and reconnaissance systems to monitor 
Russia’s operations in the Black Sea region. 
(E) An assessment of the value of estab-
lishing a joint, multinational three-star head-
quarters on the Black Sea, responsible for plan-
ning, readiness, exercises, and coordination of 
all Allied and partner military activity in the 
greater Black Sea region. 
(F) An assessment of the challenges and 
opportunities of establishing a regular, rota-
tional NATO maritime presence in the Black 
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Sea, including an analysis of the capacity, capa-
bilities, and commitment of NATO members to 
create this type of mission. 
(G) An overview of Foreign Military Fi-
nancing, International Military Education and 
Training, and other United States security as-
sistance to the region. 
(H) A plan for communicating the changes 
to NATO posture to the public in allied and 
partner countries, as well as to publics in the 
Russian Federation and Belarus. 
(I) 
A 
plan 
for 
combating 
Russian 
disinformation and propaganda in the Black 
Sea region, utilizing the resources of the United 
States Government, including the Global En-
gagement Center. 
(J) A plan to promote greater freedom of 
navigation to allow for greater security and eco-
nomic Black Sea access. 
(2) ECONOMIC PROSPERITY.—The strategy es-
tablished under subsection (a) shall include the fol-
lowing elements related to economic prosperity: 
(A) A strategy to foster dialogue between 
experts from the United States and from the 
Black Sea states on economic expansion, for-
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eign direct investment, strengthening rule of 
law initiatives, and mitigating economic coer-
cion by Russia and the PRC. 
(B) A strategy for all the relevant Federal 
departments and agencies that contribute to 
United States economic statecraft to expand 
their presence and identify new opportunities 
for private investment with regional partners in 
accordance with the values and interests of the 
United States. 
(C) Assessments on energy diversification, 
focusing on the immediate need to replace en-
ergy supplies from Russia, and recognizing the 
long-term importance of broader energy diver-
sification, including clean energy initiatives. 
(D) Assessments of potential food security 
solutions, including sustainable, long-term ar-
rangements beyond the Black Sea Grain Initia-
tive. 
(3) DEMOCRATIC
RESILIENCE.—The strategy 
established under subsection (a) shall include the 
following elements related to democratic resilience: 
(A) A strategy to increase independent 
media and United States-supported media ini-
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