site.btaPresident Iotova: Bulgaria Should Push for Ukraine Peace Talks within EU and NATO

In an interview for the Bulgarian National Television aired on Sunday night, President Iliana Iotova said that Bulgaria must participate within the existing structures of the EU and NATO, in accordance with the Bulgarian government's decision from December 2022. She added that what has been missing within that framework is, first and foremost, Bulgaria's firm stance and its vision of what needs to be done. Iotova stated that the State should be part of a group within these structures that will initiate a dialogue within the EU and NATO on ending the conflict in Ukraine with specific proposals.

Commenting on the Coalition of the Willing and the conflicting sources on whether Bulgaria represented by Minister of Foreign Affairs Velislava Petrova-Chamova signed the Kyiv Declaration, the President said: "The position of foreign minister is an extremely important one in any country, and there must be very good coordination, because ultimately the entire country bears the consequences. In my opinion, there was no such coordination, but for me, the credible position is the one expressed by the official Bulgarian government." Asked whether she is criticizing Petrova-Chamova, Iotova said that she believes that the Minister made a mistake.

The head of State urged the Coalition of the Willing to focus on finding a solution to the war rather than fuel it. She criticized it for the lack of results and "a certain amount of realism".

Iotova stated that there has been a lot of commotion, stemming from the fact that almost no one in Bulgaria is aware of the nature of this coalition or of what Bulgaria's role is in it if any. "This is because we have no official document formalizing our entry into the Coalition of the Willing, nor do we have a resolution from the Council of Ministers or the National Assembly," she added. She said that when it was established in early 2025, the Coalition was intended to prepare for a peace agreement and peace in Ukraine, but now, there is more talk of weapons and military supplies to Ukraine, and "It almost seems as if we are doing everything possible to prolong this conflict through military supplies."

Iotova further said that another major objective is the establishment of the so-called Ukraine Multinational Force, in which Bulgaria, under the government of Rosen Zhelyazkov, refused to participate in September 2025. "Even as president, I am not aware of whether Bulgaria is participating in the headquarters that was established for the Multinational Forces, at what level we are participating, or whether it has made any commitments," Iotova said.