PM Rumen Radev: Bulgaria Will Continue Supporting Ukraine, but Not at the Expense of Social Spending

Bulgaria will continue to support Ukraine, but not at the expense of social spending, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said at the start of today's session of the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8. Alliance unity, strengthening Europe's defence capabilities, and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East dominated the discussions.

A transformed Alliance and increased defence investment by European countries were the main themes highlighted by leaders. However, questions over NATO's unity continued to overshadow the summit.

Mark Rutte said at the start of the day that US President Donald Trump remained committed to the Alliance's security and to the defence of all member states.

The wars in Ukraine and renewed strikes against Iran were also on the agenda, along with Trump's remarks the previous day on Greenland, which reignited debate over NATO's cohesion.

Speaking before the meeting of the leaders of the Alliance's 32 member states, Radev said NATO was undergoing profound transformation and stressed the need to strengthen Europe's defence capabilities.

Rumen Radev, Prime Minister:

“For Bulgaria in particular, strengthening our own national defence capacity means that our country is becoming an important factor for stability in the strategically vital Black Sea region. Achieving NATO's target of allocating 5% of GDP to defence means not only developing traditional military capabilities, but also investing in infrastructure, connectivity, digital resilience and cybersecurity.”

Leaders also discussed increased support for Ukraine. Radev said Bulgaria would continue contributing, but not at the cost of domestic social expenditure.

Rumen Radev, Prime Minister:

“A number of Bulgarian governments have consistently supported Ukraine with financial, medical, humanitarian and military assistance. However, all the Bulgarian politicians who promised the greatest financial support for Ukraine did very little to develop our economy and secure additional resources for our own national budget.”

NATO's unity was again called into question following Donald Trump's remarks that the United States should control Greenland.

Rumen Radev, Prime Minister:

“I believe a rational solution can be found. Greenland already provides opportunities for the deployment of military equipment and capabilities on its territory, so this process could simply be expanded. No, I do not expect that to happen. I believe Europe stands united behind Denmark in this dispute.”

Photos: BTA

Responding to a question from foreign media about his message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Radev reiterated that a nuclear power such as Russia could not be defeated by conventional military means and insisted that the parties sit down at the negotiating table.

Rumen Radev, Prime Minister:

“My message is clear: we, the collective West, are trying to achieve a conventional victory over the world's largest nuclear power without having sufficient capabilities to counter its hypersonic missiles. This dramatically increases the risk of escalation and the possibility of a nuclear response. That is extremely dangerous. We must create the conditions for diplomacy and peace as soon as possible and avoid escalation.”