We have not exhausted the means of diplomacy to resolve the war in Ukraine, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said today in an interview with "Euronews" television in Brussels within the framework of a high-level forum organized by the media and dedicated to defense and space.
"We must listen to the concerns of both sides," he added.
"We must continue to support Ukraine, but the most important thing is to prepare the conditions for peace. There is a limit to arms supplies, because the final steps will be taken through diplomacy, not through arms supplies," the prime minister pointed out.
"Our call is for mutual listening and open channels of communication. The problem is that no one raises the question of the nuclear threat. Does it exist? Maybe not, I don't know. We must always think about whether we are ready for the most dangerous scenario. How much pressure can we put on Russia before it responds in a different way," Radev asked.
"I am not at all an advocate for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. When Putin feels strong, he does not talk about nuclear weapons, but when Russia feels weak, people start talking about atomic weapons again. I am simply reminding you that we must keep this in mind. We cannot close our eyes to the fact that Russia has nuclear power in Europe and this is included in the calculations. Nobody takes this into account," Radev pointed out.
"My political obligation to speak within the framework of the politically accepted does not always coincide with my military experience and my education in strategic assessment. For example, the war in Ukraine created a challenge not only for our security architecture and our production base, but also for our unity and our capabilities, and most of all for our critical thinking and our realistic approach. Our ability to realistically assess the war in depth was affected. Our ability to define achievable political goals and implement them in a military strategy was most affected, our ability to define what victory is and how to outline the path to it in order to achieve peace," the prime minister said, quoted by BTA.
"It is very sad that if a person deviates from the usual political speech, he is immediately labeled "pro-Russian". The reality is not like that. I am not interested in supporting Russia, but in a realistic approach and finally finding the path to peace. This is a war of attrition and is a growing danger, it is draining our economy and social systems. We must finally achieve a balance between military, economic and diplomatic means. So far, I do not see a good balance," Radev said.
"At the heart of the current approach is to force Russia to engage in negotiations with the help of force. This is achieving peace through force. We see the result - hundreds of thousands more victims, a destroyed country. I am afraid of the latest Russian strategy, the front is frozen, Ukraine is experiencing a shortage of fighters. Last year, Ukraine survived with the development of technology to overcome the shortage of people. This is a huge success and it stopped the Russian advance along the front. "Russia has superiority in long-range weapons," the prime minister noted.
In response to questions, he called for more effective diplomacy when the EU talks with the US. The prime minister added that the future of the Western Balkan countries, Ukraine and Moldova lies in the EU.