The Montreux Convention : US Needs To Resume Military Presence In Black Sea

The United States needs to resume its military presence in the Black Sea in light of Russia's special operation in Ukraine, US European Command (EUCOM) chief Gen. Tod Wolters said in a congressional testimony on Wednesday.

"We have to image our way through the next five or ten years and we're doing that with respect to the Black Sea," Wolters told the US House Armed Services Committee. "Turkey is the owner of the Montreux declaration, and I would just characterize what they're doing in this arena as very picky with who goes through ... but we need to get back in the Black Sea and it needs to occur sooner rather than later."

In spite of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, there is still some travel back and forth with small commercial vessels through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles straits, Wolters said.

The Montreux Convention of 1936 ensures the freedom of passage through the straits for merchant ships both in times of peace and war, but regulations may differ by country. The document limits the period of stay in the Black Sea of warships of non-Black Sea states to three weeks. In emergency situations, Turkey has the right to prohibit or restrict the passage of military ships through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles.