Ukraine has criticized Bulgaria’s pro-Russian president for his statements that Kyiv is to blame for the war and that supporting Ukraine only prolongs the conflict, writes Politico.
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev told journalists on Friday, the 14th of July, that he would like to point out that Ukraine insists on continuing this war, “but it must be understood that the whole of Europe will pay for it”.
The Ukrainian embassy in Sofia responded with a statement that blaming Ukraine, which was “treacherously attacked by its northern neighbor” for the war, is one of the most common phrases of Russian propaganda. The embassy said Kyiv was making every effort to restore peace.
The political spat follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Bulgaria in early July, during which Zelensky criticized Radev for saying that a military solution to the war in Ukraine was impossible and that more weapons would not solve the situation. Zelensky stressed that Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a war of extermination against Ukrainians, not any other country, and added that
Bulgaria’s government, which disagrees with Radev, was doing the right thing by supplying weapons.
Zelensky had gone to Bulgaria to meet with the administration of pro-NATO and pro-EU Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov, who supports the supply of arms to Ukraine. Radev, the former head of the Bulgarian Air Force, is inclined to support Russia’s position. Denkov also did not hesitate to oppose the president’s statements and blamed Putin and the Kremlin for the war in Ukraine.
The Embassy of Ukraine emphasized that the supply of weapons does not mean an increase in the number of casualties, but saves lives.