Zelensky: Ukraine will never forget that you are with us in such a difficult moment

Prime Minister Acad. Nikolai Denkov and Deputy Prime Minister Mariya Gabriel met with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky at the Council of Ministers on July 6, 2023.

"It is very important that in this moral crisis in Europe, Bulgaria is a defender, an opponent of the policy of genocide that Russia is pursuing against our country, independence, freedom and people. The attitude towards Russia in different countries is not unanimous. This is explained by the fact that people often find it difficult to realise the presence of evil. I would like to thank you, Bulgaria, for your support and protection of the lives of our people, for the moral strength of your decisions and because you honestly acknowledge the reality and the existing threats.

Ukraine will never forget that in such a difficult moment of loss, of the struggle of human lives, you are with us. Glory to Ukraine!" said Volodymyr Zelensky.

The President of Ukraine commented that the military assistance provided by Bulgaria is public and is a package for defence, not offence.

"This is a package for parents to protect their children, not like at the beginning of the war when people in Russian uniform raped Ukrainian children in front of their parents.

If we're talking about artillery, it's to keep them from coming at us again. This artillery, it fires at a certain distance, not on the territory of Russia. But it is not hitting them, it is working to prevent them from coming to Ukraine again.

When we talk about air defense, what are we talking about - they use missiles against civilians.

Your decision to help Ukraine or not is sovereign. Everyone has the right to protect their children. And all of you here, if a man invades you, you will defend them, because otherwise you will be left without them. We don't know where 200,000 children are - can you imagine? Some of them have been deported, some of them are in the occupied territories - are they alive - we don't know," Zelensky said.

Bulgaria is one of the leading countries in terms of support to Ukraine as a share of gross domestic product, Bulgaria has become a second home for hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees who fled the horrors of war, Bulgaria also supported all sanctions packages, Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov said. He stressed that the rights of the Bulgarian minority remain a priority for Bulgaria and believes that the legitimate interests of our compatriots will be duly taken into account, including in the drafting of a legislative framework to guarantee the rights of minorities in Ukraine.

"Bulgaria is consistent in its support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine because we are convinced that an independent and sovereign Ukraine is key to Euro-Atlantic security and security in the region. Russia must withdraw to its internationally recognised borders and be held accountable, including for war crimes. Ukraine occupies an important place in Bulgaria's foreign policy priorities because of the proximity between the two countries. Ukraine is also home to the largest Bulgarian historical community abroad. Because of all this, we cannot stand idly by and watch the suffering of millions of people just a few hundred kilometres from our border," Denkov said.

After the meeting, Nikolai Denkov and Volodymyr Zelensky signed a joint declaration on Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration. Denkov assured that Sofia would continue to support Kiev on its path towards NATO and the EU. Bulgaria is ready to participate in Ukraine's post-war reconstruction with expertise and material assistance in transport and energy infrastructure, restoration of cultural monuments.

Volodymyr Zelensky added that at the meeting in the Council of Ministers, it was agreed to expand cooperation in the defence sector, which includes rehabilitation of Ukrainian soldiers in Bulgaria, as well as training of Ukrainian military orderlies and medics in Bulgaria. According to Zelensky, Bulgaria can take part in the recovery of Ukraine, especially in the educational and environmental spheres. Cooperation in the energy sector was also discussed.

The energy ministers of the two countries signed a memorandum on energy cooperation.

Earlier today MPs adopted a decision to instruct the energy minister to hold negotiations with his Ukrainian counterpart or his representative with a view to selling two of Bulgaria’s reactors intended for the Belene nuclear power plant project.

Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov confirmed that serious talks had begun on whether the reactors from the Belene project could be used in one of Ukraine's nuclear power plants. He clarified that this was only the beginning of negotiations and there were still many technical and financial details to be worked out.

"Security and defence issues were the focus of our joint meeting with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria, Acad. Nikolai Denkov and the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. We expressed our solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people," Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel wrote on social media.

Images by Dessislava Kulelieva