Comments in Pariament Following Reports of a Visit by Zelenskyy's Chief of Staff to Sofia

Was Kyrylo Budanov, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was in Sofia and whom he met with became the subject of debate in Parliament on October 9

Questions circulated in the corridors of Parliament about whether Budanov, regarded as one of the most influential figures in the Ukrainian leadership, had been in the Bulgarian capital and whom he had met.

Photos also began circulating on social media yesterday. The Vazrazhdane party said it would submit an official inquiry to the Council of Ministers asking: “Was Budanov in the capital? Whom did he meet? What issues were discussed?”

In response to a question from BNT News, the Foreign Ministry officially stated that it had not been informed of Kyrylo Budanov’s visit to Bulgaria and that Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova had not met with him.

Photos: BGNES

We received the same response from the Ministry of Defence.

Delyan Peevski, leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), said in Parliament that his party had no information about whether Budanov had been in the capital. He urged the government to disclose any information it might have.

The press office of the head of state also told BNT News that President Iliana Iotova and representatives of the presidential institution had not held meetings with the chief of staff to the President of Ukraine.