PM Zhelyazkov from Brussels: U.S. should remain in all security formats, Europe is weak without U.S.

The US should remain in all security formats, without the US Europe is weak. And it will take a long time to try to achieve what the US gives us in partnership and within NATO and bilaterally. We hope that the US will remain committed to our collective security, because it is based on shared values, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said in Brussels, where he is participating in a summit to support Ukraine.

The leaders of the EU member states are holding an extraordinary meeting today, March 6 in Brussels to discuss additional support for Ukraine, in light of Washington's announced halt in military aid to Kyiv and the rift in relations between the EU and the US.

Prime Minister Zhelyazkov is in Brussels for a meeting of European leaders in support of Ukraine

The meeting is also attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with whom Zhelyazkov spoke by phone just hours before..

"It was his initiative to brief us on the talks he had. Today, two very important issues will be discussed today at this special council. They will not be definitive, as the development of the specific topics, especially the issue of Europe's defence capabilities, will be subject to further special and regular councils. The first issue is the resilience of Ukraine. Achieving a lasting and just peace, based on several principles. First – nothing related to peace in Ukraine can be decided without Ukraine. Second – the security of Europe and the negotiations about Europe's security must be conducted by Europe and for Europe. Third – what kind of peace we are striving for, because, as you can see, when the rule of law is confronted by the law of force, Europe must be prepared. This will be the second topic debated today."

The defensive capability of the EU, the contribution of the member states – you know that Bulgaria has a strong military industry, which we need to develop, modernise, and contribute to the overall European security. The way this can be financed, we have a clear national position that it should not jeopardise cohesion and cohesion funds. Therefore, we will propose that unspent and unusable funds from the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism be used, again within the Bulgarian economy, but for this defence cluster. From here on, there is serious work to be done within the country."

Regarding French President Emmanuel Macron's idea to form a "coalition of the willing" from countries willing to send peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, Zhelyazkov commented:

"We will see President Macron's initiative, but it is important for us to be participants in all formats that guarantee the security of the Union."

According to Zhelyazkov, the issue of potentially increasing aid to Ukraine was not discussed during the conversation with Zelensky.

Ukrainian President Zelensky thanked for Bulgaria's support

The question of Bulgaria's presidency of the UNESCO session was also raised.

"The presidency of the UNESCO session remains with Bulgaria. Professor Nenov will be the chair of the committee, but it will not be held in Bulgaria, and this was agreed upon in the UNESCO Secretariat. The session will be in Paris. The reasons are clear. A commitment was made by the Minister of Culture of the caretaker government, but it was not financially secured. The entire logistical network that needs to be realised is so complicated that it is impossible to make up for the lost time from July last year to February this year in just three months. There has not been a single public procurement for accommodation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that we are facing significant issues with visa issuance, as this involves nearly 200 countries and around 4,000 participants. The issue is not only financial but also organisational," the Prime Minister emphasised.

Bulgaria has withdrawn from hosting UNESCO event and will pay for it to be held in Paris

He also noted that the financial commitment in connection with Bulgaria’s presidency will be fulfilled and is covered in the draft budget, with the amount being under 2 million dollars. However, according to Zhelyazkov, this amount is several times lower than it would have been if the presidency had been held in Bulgaria.

"In Saudi Arabia, this event cost about 20 million euros," Zhelyazkov compared.

European leaders will discuss security guarantees with a view to ensuring lasting peace in Ukraine. One of the expected topics will be the deployment of European troops in Ukraine should a peace agreement be reached. Another main topic of the meeting will be defence.