site.btaUPDATED PM Radev: "Bulgaria's Place Is Not in Coalition of Willing for Ukraine"

"I believe Bulgaria's place is not in the coalition of the willing," Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev told bTV in Paris, asked why nobody represented this country at Monday's Coalition of the Willing Summit in the French capital. He said he had personally received an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to join the coalition. The PM's Q&A was streamed on the Facebook page of Bulgaria's Council of Ministers. 

"We're not part of a coalition pushing for continued financial and military aid to Ukraine. We don't provide aid of that kind, because I believe the way to resolve this conflict is through a strong diplomatic effort to end the escalation rather than by prolonging it by military means," the PM specified.

The meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris on Monday brought together about 25 heads of state and government out of more than 30 countries that are part of this format.

Approached about his attendance at Tuesday's military parade marking France's national day, the [Prime Minister] thanked President Macron for the invitation, describing the occasion as "a true symbol of humanity's enduring quest for freedom and democracy."

"The presence of Bulgarian guardsmen at this parade is becoming a tradition. They have their rightful place there, a sign of the excellent relations between Bulgaria and France across the many areas where our countries work closely together," Radev said.

Asked whether other heads of state and government outside the "coalition of the willing" had attended Monday evening's dinner reception , Radev said everyone had been invited. "I ran into colleagues who aren't part of the 'coalition of the willing,' but they were there at the dinner and the reception hosted by the French President," he added.

On the formation of the so-called anti-missile coalition, Radev said that "decisions affecting our collective security are made in a different format, in a different place."

"We've seen plenty of proposals and ideas, but the decisions themselves happen elsewhere. Bulgaria is actively involved in all these formats, wherever the decisions are actually made," he said, adding that such matters are addressed within the EU and NATO, "where Bulgaria carries real weight and projects an active presence."

The leaders of ten countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the UK) announced on Monday in Paris they were forming a coalition to build a shared ballistic missile defence capability to protect Europe, utilizing Kyiv's over-four-year experience fighting Russia's invasion.

On the 21st package of sanctions against Russia, Radev said Bulgaria had insisted on the removal from the sanctions list of an individual connected to the safe operation of the Sofia Metro.

"Bulgaria openly expressed its reservations about these individuals, and made it clear that it was prepared to veto the entire package if they weren't delisted. As you saw, they were removed. For the first time, Bulgaria openly stood up for its national interest," Radev said.

Bulgaria has objected to the inclusion in the list of Russian Patriarch Kirill and Lukoil minority shareholder Vagit Alekperov.

"For the first time, we're seeing that there's nothing wrong with a country defending its national interest within a collective framework. The European Union is strong when its Member States are strong - and they can only be strong when they stand up for their own interests," he added.

He said this stance has earned respect from Bulgaria's partners. "So Bulgaria is now speaking up for a stronger Europe made up of stronger member states," Radev said.

Asked about the price cap on Russian oil, Radev said Member States "are increasingly weighing these sanctions against their own national interests".

"When we impose a 21st sanctions package, we have to ask why we've reached this point, and what became of the previous 20. Clearly they aren't achieving their goal. These sanctions really need to be designed so that, above all, they don't end up hurting the countries imposing them," he said.