site.btaUPDATED Foreign Minister Denies Claims of Bulgarian Commitment to Ukraine Coalition

Bulgaria has not assumed any commitment regarding the coalition of the willing for Ukraine, Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova said on Friday, denying allegations of inconsistent actions of the Bulgarian government on the matter.

"Absolutely no commitment has been assumed for participation of Bulgaria in the coalition of the willing or any other type of formats," Petrova told journalists in the corridors of the National Assembly. Commenting on a controversy over whether she had signed or not a declaration adopted by the 5th Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit in Kyiv on July 15, Petrova said: "This type of declarations are not meant to be signed, they are adopted in such formats all the time."

"Our position remains the same as before: Bulgaria is defending its interests and is not standing in the way of its allies and other partners to defend their own interests and participate along whatever lines they choose," the Foreign Minister said.

Petrova also pointed to what she described as an interesting detail: "this storm in a teacup" was unfolding precisely this week. It would be good to consider why this was happening, she said. "Because on Monday we showed that Bulgaria can defend its national interest and, despite everything, not be isolated; on the contrary, our reservations were taken into account and removed from the sanctions package, while we supported it," Petrova said.

According to the Minister, the purpose of "this storm" was precisely to divert attention from that fact. "The truth is that, for the first time in quite a long time, Bulgaria is fighting for its national interest rather than blindly following instructions from other embassies, and this will continue to be the case from now on," she said.

On July 14, Petrova said in Brussels that Bulgaria is ready to support the expansion of sanctions against Russia after its reservations were taken into account.

Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Rumen Radev stressed the declaration does not bear the Bulgarian Foreign Minister's signature.

During discussions at the Ukraine-Southеast Europe Summit, there was no discussion of the Kyiv Declaration whatsoever, but rather a focus on the current options for supporting Ukraine, with each participant able to contribute in different ways, Petrova said. Bulgaria can provide such support in the energy sector, and "this is the direction in which we worked at the subsequent meetings - with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister and Naftogaz representatives, Petrova said.

She explained the declaration is presented as a ready-made text, with language already agreed at earlier meetings of this type. Previous Bulgarian governments have also participated in such meetings, she noted.

Asked if Bulgaria voiced criticism of points in the declaration, the chief diplomat said they did not commit the country in any way. Petrova added that Bulgaria's position had been discussed in advance at government level. The declaration sets out the main parameters of key political messages and possible ways in which individual countries can work, she said.

Regarding the level of Bulgaria's representation at the forum in Kyiv, Petrova said it was standard practice for a foreign minister to attend when a state or government leader is unable to participate in an event. For Ukraine, it is important that Bulgaria's presence demonstrates support, she stressed.

"The war must end with a peace agreement that is lasting, provides security guarantees for Ukraine, and Europe must play a key role," the Minister said, taking a question about which side Bulgaria is on. She described attempts to force a debate that could divide society as "highly unproductive and even dangerous".