Bulgaria Warns Of Risk Of “Direct Confrontation” Between Russia And NATO

"The hasty reactions of our politicians and institutions, that Bulgaria will not send troops to Ukraine, will mean absolutely nothing if any other country provokes a direct confrontation with Russia", said Rumen Radev, speaking to journalists in the Swiss city of Bern.

The Bulgarian head of state was referring to the appeal made today by NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, for the current restrictions that prevent Ukraine from using allied weapons against Russian territory to be reconsidered.

Stoltenberg stressed, during the NATO Parliamentary Assembly that met in Sofia, that Kiev "will have its hands tied" if it is unable to respond to Moscow's attack with offensives on legitimate military targets on Russian territory.

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly, an independent institution of the Atlantic Alliance, today approved a statement of support for giving Ukraine this capability.

In addition to the 32 NATO countries, delegates from partner parliaments or observers from other nations or organizations, such as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), sit in the institution.

"Calls on NATO countries to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of weapons to attack Russian military targets are giving Russia reasons to respond," Radev stressed, in reaction to this position.

His warning was made in reference to the implications of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which states that an attack on one member country is considered an attack on all allies.

Radev has accused Bulgarian politicians of putting the population at risk by opting for the Euro-Atlantic route, in a context in which "military rhetoric in the Western world is increasing".

"It is time for Bulgarian politicians to open their eyes wide on Russia's war against Ukraine, strive to end it more quickly and find paths to peace based on international law", defended Radev, quoted in a statement from your office.

The Kremlin (Russian presidency) has already condemned Stoltenberg's appeal and accused NATO of increasing "the degree of escalation".

"NATO is playing with fire with military rhetoric, it is falling into warlike ecstasy", said Dmitri Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, in statements to the newspaper 'Izvestia'.

The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24, 2022, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since the Second World War (1939-1945).