Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov Met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Odesa (photos)

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the “Ukraine – Southeast Europe” Summit held in Odesa on June 11.

The summit was also attended by the leaders of Moldova, countries from the Western Balkans, as well as Romania, Slovenia, and Croatia.

In Odesa—the city on the Black Sea coast that was targeted by Russian strikes again last night—leaders from Southeast European countries gathered for the summit. At the forum, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov emphasised that Europe stands united and strong, side by side with Ukraine.

“It is very important that, when we talk about achieving a sustainable and lasting peace, this is done through clear and concrete steps. Proposals made by the Ukrainian side to cease hostilities—for instance, a truce that would allow for the exchange of prisoners of war and the return of abducted Ukrainian children to their homeland—are, unfortunately, met with ultimatum-like demands from the Russian side, which offer no real guarantees,” said Rosen Zhelyazkov.

The leaders discussed enhancing the region’s defence capabilities, as well as the EU accession prospects of Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkan countries.

“Accession must be merit-based—that is, conditional upon meeting all the necessary criteria. This is a prerequisite for starting the negotiation process,” Zhelyazkov added.

EU enlargement was also a key topic in a one-to-one meeting between Prime Minister Zhelyazkov and President Zelensky. Their talks also focused on post-war reconstruction in Ukraine and the rights and opportunities of the Bulgarian minority in the country.

“The aim was to discuss issues of mutual interest. We focused primarily on Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction and Bulgaria’s potential participation in sectors such as energy, trade, maritime transport, and infrastructure, including within the context of the Greek Prime Minister’s proposal for a railway link from Alexandroupoli to Odesa,” said Zhelyazkov.

The summit in Odesa was the fourth edition of this format, following previous forums in Tirana, Athens, and Dubrovnik. Among the attendees was Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, marking his first visit to Ukraine since the beginning of the war.

It was also the first summit of this kind attended by the new Romanian President Nicușor Dan. The leaders laid flowers at the Alley of Heroes in Odesa and paid tribute to the memory of those who lost their lives.