„The position expressed by Mr. Radev is disgraceful. It is disgraceful because it implicitly reveals that Russia will win this conflict and that it is normal and good that it will happen. I believe that Ukraine will win this conflict and that we must help Ukraine win this conflict, because the alternative is for all of Eastern Europe to become vassal appendages again.“
This was announced at a briefing by the Deputy Prime Minister and Co-Chairman of „We continue the change“ Asen Vassilev. He stressed that what we see at the moment is unprecedented aggression against Bulgaria by Russia.
„We were put on the list of enemy countries. The Russian ambassador allowed herself statements that were incompatible with her status, and if she had been Bulgaria’s ambassador to Russia, he would have been expelled. Although Bulgaria has not sent weapons to Ukraine, all these things are happening. We just have to take the story back. Bulgaria does not declare war on Russia and does not send troops to the Eastern Front, and yet the USSR declares war on Bulgaria and enters here with an army and imposes reparations on us. The policy of sitting down and pretending that there is no aggressor does not work. We are not looking for conflict. We are not looking for war. But when the war comes to our doorstep, we will meet it and repel the aggressor, and this will be clear to absolutely every aggressor. The game in which someone is trying to tell us what to do, someone is trying to rape and blackmail us, is over. In this conflict, too, Bulgaria will help the country that is fighting against the aggressor, and this must also be clear. Because in this conflict, what we see is a very clear position, on the one hand the states can determine how to live, how to govern, in which blocs to participate, on the other hand the whole concept of great powers lives, spheres of influence and small states as vassal appendages of these spheres of influence. Bulgaria is not and will not be a vassal appendage of anyone.„, he added.
The briefing was also attended by Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, who stressed that Bulgaria is not alone and no one should think something like this:
„It is entirely part of the European family, and what we are doing is deciding that, as a party, we will support military-technical assistance to Ukraine, and that is our real wish, and that will be our vote in Parliament next week.“
Vassilev also spoke about the suspended supplies of natural gas from Russia, revealing why the decision was made to replace DIrector of „Bulgargaz“, Nikolay Pavlov. It became clear from his words that in September last year he signed an annex to the contract for the Azerbaijani blue fuel, which reduces supplies by 60% by June this year.
He assured that despite the suspended deliveries there was no problem with consumption. In addition, talks on the issue would take place in Brussels tomorrow.
„Gas comes at a higher price by about 20%. We are working on a pan-European solution so that the price becomes lower than the one we bought from Gazprom. We have talked with Greece and Italy about common gas supplies, so what can go in from the south can go in the direction of Serbia and Hungary. We have meetings in Brussels tomorrow to speed up the work on general purchases.“, Vassilev added.
