President Iliana Iotova Met with Representatives of the U.S. National Defence University

President Iliana Iotova met with representatives of the US National Defense University taking part in the Capstone training programme, who are visiting Bulgaria. The talks focused on global security challenges. The head of state noted that 2025 had ended with more than 60 armed conflicts – the highest number since the Second World War. ‘This is a terrible diagnosis for our countries and societies,’ she said.

Iliana Iotova stressed that the war in Ukraine had already spilled beyond the country's borders. The President said a war of attrition could not be the answer. The conflict could only be brought to an end through diplomacy and peace negotiations, with Europe playing an active role in the process.

‘Without Europe, lasting peace cannot be achieved. The European Union must put forward concrete proposals for peace in Ukraine and for a security architecture that ensures stability and predictability on the Old Continent,’ she said.

Iotova described the peace talks scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi in the coming days as a positive step.

Security in the Black Sea region was a key focus of the meeting. Attacks on vessels pose significant economic and financial risks, as well as threats to European energy security and food security in Asia and Africa, President Iotova noted.

She highlighted the active steps taken by Bulgaria in response to these challenges. A Consultative Council for National Security was convened to discuss measures, while a series of meetings and talks were held at various levels between Bulgaria and its partners in the European Union and NATO, as well as separately with neighbouring Romania and Turkey, in an effort to strengthen co-ordination.

The President also outlined a proposal to hold a Black Sea security forum involving the six countries bordering the Black Sea – Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Georgia, Ukraine and Russia – with the aim of securing a moratorium on military operations in the Black Sea basin.

Iotova emphasised Bulgaria's key role, which she said would grow in the coming years, not only in the region but across Europe. In this context, she highlighted the infrastructure, energy and digital corridors whose development involves Bulgaria.

Strengthening the strategic partnership between Bulgaria and the United States and enhancing cooperation in the areas of security and defence were also discussed during the meeting.