President Iliana Iotova on the War in Ukraine: “I Strongly Believe There Will Be a Ceasefire”

President Iliana Iotova on February 24 commented on the war in Ukraine, now entering its fourth year.

“My position, and that of Mr Rumen Radev, has been clear since the very first night the war in Ukraine broke out. I do not regard this as ‘special operations’ — this is a war which, regrettably, has been raging for four years. If we are to take stock, it is almost as long as the Second World War, at the cost of thousands of victims on both sides. I strongly believe there will be progress in peace negotiations, that there will be a ceasefire and a return to normality. All European countries, including ours, should take part in the reconstruction of Ukraine. From the very beginning our position has been categorical and clear — we are speaking of aggression and an aggressor.”

The Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces got acquainted with the “Analysis of the State and Preparedness of the Armed Forces in 2025”, presented by Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov. She thanked him for the overview and the in-depth assessment.

Photos by BTA

The condition of the Bulgarian army has improved, but funding remains a problem. Experts reached that conclusion during the presentation of the report by Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov.

The caretaker Defence Minister said that, due to the absence of an approved budget and delays in the delivery of the final eight F-16 fighter jets for Bulgaria, payments will be spread over the coming months. President Iliana Iotova stressed the need for additional funding for the sector.

"In 2025, there has been some progress in army funding, both in overall resources and in personnel salaries, but this is still not fully resolved, as it does not create the level of appeal we would like to see. I will not give figures, but the Bulgarian Armed Forces are still not fully staffed,” President Iliana Iotova said.

Caretaker Defence Minister, Atanas Zapryanov, added: “The main conclusion of the report is that the Armed Forces are fulfilling their constitutional duties. We regard the year as productive, giving impetus both to personnel recruitment and to modernisation, and public attitudes are improving. However, as I have said, and as Admiral Emil Eftimov has noted, this is only a beginning. We are a long way from a state of a modern armed forces fully compatible with NATO. This is an area where further work is required, and priorities need to be identified. First and foremost: modernisation of our armed forces.”