Prime Minister Radev: Europe Must Have Its Place at the Negotiating Table on Ending the War in Ukraine

Europe must have a seat at the negotiating table for talks on ending the war in Ukraine. This was stated by Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev in Dublin, where he is attending a meeting of the European Political Community. He said that the future security architecture of Europe cannot be negotiated solely between the United States and Russia.

“I do not think that the United States and Russia sitting alone at the negotiating table can resolve the challenges we will face in the future. We must defend Ukraine’s interests, while also taking Russia’s concerns into account. Only by considering the interests and concerns of both sides – Russia’s and, above all, Ukraine’s – can we be confident that peace will be lasting,” Radev said.

He said Europe had so far missed the opportunity to secure a place in the diplomatic process and must make greater efforts to take part in decision-making. Radev expressed his expectation that the European Council would take the necessary decision on EU representation in the negotiations. He said the EU institutions – the European Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament – should all be part of the process.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister also commented on Russia’s demand that NATO return to its pre-1997 borders and withdraw its military presence from Eastern Europe. He described the position as “unthinkable and unrealistic”.

“This is not up for discussion at all. Countries that have made their own sovereign decisions about which alliances to join cannot be forced, under external pressure, to change those decisions. That is impossible,” Radev said.

According to him, security guarantees should be sought in a different format, but not by restricting the sovereign right of states to choose for themselves the alliances to which they belong.