President Radev: The red lines, which restrained the war in Ukraine from uncontrolled escalation, have been crossed

The caretaker government will decide who will represent Bulgaria at the NATO summit in Washington, President Rumen Radev said in response to a journalist's question on June 3. The Head of State added that if he represents Bulgaria at the high-level forum, he will express his position on the war, which he has repeatedly stated to the media.

"It is the responsibility of the Council of Ministers to decide who will represent the country, but with all the resulting consequences and historical responsibility for the caretaker government, because this is an existential summit, it is not like the others. A decision is made about war and peace at it. We should also take into account the very legitimacy of the current cabinet. Let's not forget that it is the product of a Parliament resulting from a low voter turnout and with a catastrophically low trust on behalf of the Bulgarian citizens, as well as the product of, I can say, a mockery of the Bulgarian Constitution," Rumen Radev said.

According to the President, the red lines that restrained the uncontrolled escalation of the war in Ukraine have already been crossed.

"Until now, there were two red lines that restrained the uncontrolled escalation of this war. The first one is limiting the geographical scope of the war to the territory of Ukraine only and the second one is preventing a direct clash between NATO troops and those of Russia. With the decision to allow an attack with Western weapons deep inside Russia and the formalisation of sending advisers and trainers to the very front line, these red lines have already been breached and, unfortunately, our politicians are becoming part of such inadequate decisions with all the political consequences," Radev said.

In his words, manipulation and distortion of the truth have become a permanent feature of Bulgarian politics.

"We see how my words are being distorted, and we see the whole situation regarding developments in the war in Ukraine and NATO's involvement in this conflict at all levels is an open secret that is becoming more and more apparent. And this involvement is deepening, and poses a risk of an uncontrolled escalation, and that would mean of nuclear armageddon, and all the speculation on this topic is aimed at swaying public opinion.

I have categorically never stated that Bulgaria has made a decision to send troops to Ukraine. Our self-proclaimed Euro-Atlanticists are cowardly and incapable of making such a decision on their own, and they know that they will be ostracised and kicked out of society, just as they were when they tried to cancel 3 March as a national holiday. Otherwise, if left to them, they would gladly send all Bulgarians to fight in Ukraine, to cover up their false Euro-Atlantic facade. Because they are very far from the Euro-Atlantic values," Radev said.

The President called for establishing all the facts and circumstances surrounding the formation of the Bulgarian position on the UN's resolution designating July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica. In his opinion, it is inappropriate for the Bulgarian government to show hesitation and inconsistency given that we are co-authors of a position for a UN resolution. “In this regard all facts and circumstances should be clarified," he stressed

This would not be a precedent, the head of State pointed out. In my presence at the EU Council, Bulgaria defended a position on the rights of our compatriots in the Republic of North Macedonia, when we refocused the EU's attention precisely on human rights and their violation. Then came another government that decided to erase this position. Bulgaria should be clear and consistent and promote democratic values and principles in the region, the President further said.

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According to leaked documents in media outlets several days ago, a cable sent by Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev to Bulgaria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Lachezara Stoeva called for a last-minute change of Bulgaria's position ahead of the UN vote on the Srebrenica resolution. Stoeva allegedly ignored Glavchev's instructions, and Bulgaria supported the resolution, to which it is a co-author.

Caretaker Prime Minister, Dimitar Glavchev, on June 1 denied the accusations that he had exerted pressure on Bulgaria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Lachezara Stoeva, to abstain during the voting of the UN resolution condemning the genocide in Srebrenica.

“There is no Srebrenica scandal, someone is trying to make one,” the caretaker PM said. Glavchev added that Bulgaria supports the UN resolution, and that he is not going to make any comment on the “criminal leakage of documents in an unfinished phase of the decision-making process.

Dimitar Glavchev stressed that such scandals cause great international damage and it is unacceptable to use this in an election campaign

He was adamant that he was not going to be a part of “pre-election shows” organized in the last week before the elections.