Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova @Nova TV
Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova insisted that Bulgaria assumed no new obligations by taking part in the July 15 meeting in Kyiv and dismissed claims that the country had signed the so-called Kyiv Declaration. Speaking on Nova TV, she described the document as part of an informal political format that carries no legally binding commitments, stressing that Bulgaria's actual international obligations are undertaken only through the European Union and NATO.
Petrova said the declaration contains broad political language, leaving each participating country free to decide which initiatives it will support in practice. Referring to Prime Minister Rumen Radev's position, she stated, "Our position was clearly expressed by Prime Minister Rumen Radev - at this stage, Bulgaria does not find its place in the Coalition of the Willing." She added that Bulgaria's participation in previous meetings had been largely ceremonial, without involvement in operational activities or the provision of free military assistance to Ukraine.
According to the minister, public discussion has created "an artificial feeling of a foreign policy crisis" and the impression that Bulgaria has dramatically changed its geopolitical direction, something she argued is not supported by reality. She emphasized that Bulgaria remains firmly anchored within the EU and NATO while seeking a more independent diplomatic approach. "After 20 years of membership, Bulgaria cannot afford to blindly follow one or another large country and simply copy. It is time for Bulgaria to pursue a foreign policy that is guided by initiative rather than inertia or symbolic acts," she said.
