Prime Minister Kirill Petkov in Brussels: EU is united that Russia cannot go unpunished and must pay the price for its aggression against Ukraine
The European Union has given a clear signal that the Member States are speaking with one voice and we are adamant that the Russian Federation cannot go unpunished. Any such aggression must come at a price. This was stated by Prime Minister Kiril Petkov to journalists after the extraordinary meeting of the members of the European Council. In Brussels, European leaders adopted sanctions against the Russian Federation for unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine.
“In such an attack and loss of people, which we are witnessing – yesterday at the table in the European Council there was no vote for soft measures,” said Petkov. The prime minister added that discussions on specific sanctions were ongoing, but was adamant that they would affect large sectors of the Russian economy and the assets of people involved in the decision to aggress against Ukraine.
The Prime Minister Kiril Petkov pointed out that a headquarters in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is already operating in Bulgaria, which in coordination with the Ministry of Innovation and Growth works around the clock to help Bulgarians from Ukraine who wish to return to Bulgaria. Petkov added that Bulgaria, like other EU countries, is ready to welcome Ukrainian citizens fleeing the conflict in their homeland.
“All the leaders of the European Council yesterday shared that it is important that households at home are not affected,” he said. In this context, the Prime Minister noted that in terms of energy security, Bulgaria’s interest is above all. That is why he spoke with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis so that the construction of the Greek gas connection could be completed as soon as possible.
Prime Minister Kiril Petkov stressed that it is in the current crisis that Bulgaria must take action to fill the deficits in its army. The Prime Minister clarified that decisions at the NATO level on the situation with Ukraine are to be made, emphasizing that there will be no NATO-Russia military conflict. Petkov reiterated that coordination takes place at NATO level, emphasizing that Bulgaria is a framework state and participates in this context on its own. At the same time, the Prime Minister pointed out the importance of counteracting hybrid attacks, including by political parties and non-governmental organizations, which he said will try to break the common European position.