A two-day NATO Summit in Ankara, marked by a series of major developments, has concluded. From US President Donald Trump’s decision to end the ceasefire with Iran to his announcement that he would grant Ukraine a licence to produce Patriot systems, a number of key decisions were made on the sidelines of the summit.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with the two leaders discussing cooperation in the energy sector. Bulgaria’s support for Kyiv will continue, it became clear from the Turkish capital.
Energy and the creation of new energy corridors were the focus of the talks between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Rumen Radev. The meeting between the two leaders was the final engagement of the Bulgarian Prime Minister’s programme at the forum in Ankara.
On NATO’s new transformation, strengthening support for Ukraine, and Bulgaria’s position on Ukraine and Greenland.
Natural gas supplies and the creation of new energy corridors across Europe were among the main points discussed by Radev and Zelenskyy. For Kyiv, Bulgaria’s energy potential is focused mainly on the reactors from the Belene Nuclear Power Plant, which could be used to complete Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant. Last week, Radev told the Bulgarian parliament that he planned for Bulgaria and Ukraine to work together on completing the Belene project.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine: “An important meeting regarding our bilateral cooperation with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev. Our countries need strong relations, and that is precisely what we discussed today. We discussed energy issues—together we can achieve a great deal, especially regarding liquefied natural gas. Europe’s dependence on Russian energy resources is steadily decreasing, and it is important for our partners to have alternatives. Rumen also told me about his diplomatic contacts and what Bulgaria is doing to ensure security in the Black Sea. We will continue to stay in touch, and I have invited the Prime Minister to Ukraine.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine:
"An important meeting on our bilateral cooperation with Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Rumen Radev. Our countries need strong relations, and today we discussed exactly that. We talked about energy issues — together we can do a lot, especially regarding liquefied gas. Europe’s dependence on Russian energy resources is decreasing more and more, and it is important that our partners have alternatives. Rumen also told me about his diplomatic contacts and about what Bulgaria is doing for security in the Black Sea. We will continue to stay in touch, and I have invited the Prime Minister to visit Ukraine."
NATO leaders and Bulgaria are discussing increased support for Ukraine, but Radev said this would not come at the expense of social spending.
Rumen Radev, Prime Minister of Bulgaria:
"Bulgaria will provide financial support to Ukraine within our capabilities, without this, of course, affecting social spending, and we must take into account the significant deficit left behind by previous governments."
In response to a question from foreign media about his message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Radev reiterated that a nuclear power such as Russia cannot be defeated through conventional means and insisted that the parties sit down at the negotiating table.
Rumen Radev, Prime Minister of Bulgaria:
"My message is clear — we, the collective West, are trying to achieve a conventional victory over the largest nuclear power, without having sufficient capabilities to deal with its hypersonic missiles. This dramatically increases the risk of escalation and the possibility of a nuclear response. And this is very, very dangerous. Therefore, we must create conditions for diplomacy and peace as soon as possible and avoid further escalation."
A profound transformation of NATO and the need to strengthen Europe’s defence capabilities were among the messages delivered by Prime Minister Rumen Radev before the start of the meeting of the leaders of the 32 member states.
Rumen Radev, Prime Minister of Bulgaria:
"For Bulgaria in particular, strengthening our own national defence capabilities means that our country is becoming an important factor of stability in the Black Sea region, which is critical and strategically important for the Alliance. Achieving NATO’s target of 5% of gross domestic product for defence means for us not only developing traditional defence capabilities, but also investing in infrastructure, connectivity, digital resilience and cybersecurity."
From Ankara, Radev also outlined Bulgaria’s position on Greenland, which aligns with the European position — the right of Greenlanders to self-determination and the need for Europe to remain united.
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