Bulgaria’s President Radev: We Strongly Condemn Russia's Aggression in Ukraine

"We strongly condemn the Russian aggression in Ukraine,' said Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev after holding a face-to-face meeting with his Czech counterpart Milos Zeman at Prague's Hradcany Castle, BTA reported on on May 10.

Radev said the war was destroying the established international order, as well as Europe's decades-old security architecture. This aggression requires a united response within NATO and the EU, requires a deep and decisive transformation of the Alliance, a new strategic concept with a focus on the Eastern flank, Radev said.

The President added that the two countries are strongly committed to building their defence capacity and at the meeting he and the President of the Czechia discussed how this could be done better.

The head of State expressed regret that the war posed a number of challenges for the two countries, especially for the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Calls for an end to the fighting and the promotion of negotiations have given way to militant rhetoric, which means a long war with grave consequences, the Bulgarian head of State noted.

Both Bulgaria and Czechia are sympathetic to the Ukrainian people, and are committed to providing humanitarian assistance. "But we need to be more committed to the energy independence of our countries," Radev said. According to him, sanctions against Russia must be effective, but "we should not allow them to cause damage to our economic and social systems", Radev added.