Radev: I do not support supply of Bulgarian arms for Ukraine. Zelensky: If you were in my place, what would you do?

Bulgaria's Rumen Radev received his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky at a meeting at the Presidency on July 6, 2023. Radev expressed Bulgaria’s support for Ukraine, but reiterated his position against the supply of Bulgarian arms.

In response to these words, Zelensky asked, "If, God forbid, a tragedy were to happen and you were in my place, and if you were not helped with weapons by people who have common values ​​with you, what would you do?"

Rumen Radev highlighted Bulgaria's support for Ukraine and the fact that the country has sheltered thousands of Ukrainian refugees.

“I want to express our solidarity with the Ukrainian people and the victims of this cruel war, which is still raging right now. From day one I denounced the aggression against your country. In the first months of the conflict, Bulgaria hosted thousands of Ukrainian citizens and many of them continue to be under the protection of the Bulgarian state".

The head of state specified that he did not agree to supply weapons, because as commander-in-chief he has the clear responsibility to ensure that Bulgaria's defense capabilities do not weaken.

“The environment is also quite alarming in our region. The risk to security and peace in Europe is increasing, including the risk of radioactive contamination,” the Bulgarian head of state noted.

Rumen Radev stressed the importance of the earlier signed declaration on Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration, but commented that the conflict in Ukraine is turning into an exhaustion, into a global clash, exacerbating social tensions. The Bulgarian President advocated consistent efforts for de-escalation, ceasefire and finding a solution through diplomacy.

“I still maintain that there is no military solution to this conflict and more and more weapons hardly lead to that solution."

In response to these words, the President of Ukraine said that what is happening in his country is not a conflict, but a war.

"If this was a conflict, our country would not be abandoned by millions of people. We have this right because the war is on our territory. I am very grateful that important declarations were signed today in the field of energy. One of the blackmail attempts of the Russian Federation goes through energy prices, and then through the capture of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,”. The apture of this plant is also not a conflict, but a war'.

Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Bulgaria for sheltering many Ukrainians. He said that the war was not being fought to exhaust the world, but to kill Ukrainian citizens. Referring to Radev's words that he does not support the supply of arms to Ukraine, he asked - "You do not support so that your army is not weakened or you do not support strengthening Ukraine?"

"Your army and everything you have will be insufficient to fight Russia if it comes here. Not because you have a weak army, it is powerful, your people are good. A powerful army means first of all people. But it would be insufficient to fight a war against a country of 160 million people."

It is your right to express this position, but Ukrainians must defend themselves, lest the war come to Bulgaria, Poland or elsewhere, the Ukrainian President said.

“If, God forbid, a tragedy were to happen and you were in my place, and if you were not helped with weapons by people who have common values ​​with you, what would you do? Would you say, 'Putin, take Bulgarian territories'? No, I am sure that as a real president you would not compromise your state, your sovereignty," Volodymyr Zelensky said.

He expressed confidence that one day Ukraine will be a member of the EU and NATO, with which it shares common values. He commented that nowadays one cannot seek balance or support Russia because, in his words, it wants to destroy NATO and the EU.